PORT TOWNSEND — School’s out until after the holidays, but high school basketball is still in session for many North Olympic Peninsula teams.
Some of those tournaments are out of the area. The Sequim boys team is playing in the third annual Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic at Franklin High School in Seattle, and the Forks boys are at the North Beach Invite in Ocean Shores.
But many other area teams are playing near home today and Saturday.
The basketball capital of the Peninsula is Port Townsend High School, where five area teams will compete in the Crush in the Slush tournament.
The action tips off today at 9 a.m. with a game between the Chimacum girls team (0-5) and Friday Harbor (3-4).
The Neah Bay boys team (2-1) returns to the Crush for the second year in a row with a 2:15 p.m. game against
La Conner (3-0).
Last year, the Red Devils became the darlings of the first day of the tournament after their 79-21 international shellacking of Australian team the Aussie Travelers.
Neah Bay finished last season as the 1B state runner-up. In La Conner, the Red Devils face last season’s 2B fourth-place team in a battle of class powers.
At 4 p.m., the Port Townsend girls (3-4) play Class 2A Squalicum (3-3).
The Crush’s first day is capped off with a boys game between rivals Port Townsend (2-4) and Chimacum (0-5).
The Redskin and Cowboy girls teams will face off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to close out the tournament.
Saturday’s boys games, meanwhile, depend on the results of the first day’s games.
The Neah Bay-La Conner loser will face the Port Townsend-Chimacum loser at 4 p.m. in the small-school consolation game.
The winners of today’s boys games will play each other at 4 p.m. in the small-school championship game.
Those are only the games involving Peninsula teams.
The Crush in the Slush features seven games each day. The boys large-school brackets include 2012-13 2A runner-up Anacortes, 4A Puyallup and Delta, B.C. on the boys side.
Crush In The Slush Tournament Schedule
at Port Townsend High School
Today’s Games
Chimacum vs. Friday Harbor (girls), 9 a.m.
Kingston vs. Anacortes (boys), 10:45 a.m.
Ingraham vs. La Conner (girls), 12:30 p.m.
Neah Bay vs. La Conner (boys), 2:15 p.m.
Port Townsend vs. Squalicum, (girls), 4 p.m.
Puyallup vs. Delta, B.C. (boys), 5:45 p.m.
Port Townsend vs. Chimacum (boys), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Squalicum vs. Ingraham (girls), 9 a.m.
Kingston-Anacortes loser vs. Puyallup-Delta, B.C. loser (boys) (Large-School Consolation Game), 10:45 a.m.
Friday Harbor vs. La Conner (girls),12:30 p.m.
Kingston-Anacortes winner vs. Puyallup-Delta B.C. winner (Large School Championship Game), 2:15 p.m.
Neah Bay-La Conner loser vs. Port Townsend-Chimacum loser (boys) (Small-School Consolation Game), 4 p.m.
Neah-Bay-La Conner winner vs. Port Townsend-Chimacum winner (boys), (Small School Championship Game), 5:45 p.m.
Port Townsend vs. Chimacum (girls), 7:30 p.m.
Other games on the Peninsula
There also are a few non-tournament games being played on the Peninsula on Saturday:
■ Quilcene hosts a doubleheader with Crescent, with the girls game at 3:30 p.m. and the boys at 5 p.m.
The Rangers swept a doubleheader earlier this month in Joyce.
■ The Port Angeles boys team (5-4) hosts Black Hills (4-5) at 6:30 p.m.
The Roughriders beat the Wolves 62-35 in Tumwater last year.
