PORT TOWNSEND — Prep holiday hoops tips off in a major way this morning with the annual Crush in the Slush basketball tournament presented by the Port Townsend Basketball Club.
A whopping total of 14 boys and girls basketball games will be played in less than 32 hours inside the confines of Bruce Blevins Gymnasium — with four North Olympic Peninsula squads in on the action.
Host Port Townsend has both its boys and girls squads participating along with the Neah Bay girls and the Chimacum boys.
Contests begin at 10:25 a.m. today when Cedarcrest (2-4) matches up with the Olympic boys (2-5) and the seventh and the final game of the day is set for an 8:25 p.m. tip.
Saturday gets going even earlier with an 8:45 a.m. matchup between the Kalama (2-5) and Cedarcrest boys teams.
A full schedule of boys and girls contests is available in the calendar on page B2.
Something has got to give when Chimacum (0-2, 0-7) and Tyee (0-4) play at 1:45 p.m.
The most intriguing matchup of day one pits the Neah Bay girls (4-2) and Burlington-Edison (3-2) at 3:45 p.m.
The Red Devils got off to a tough start facing a top-notch 2A squad in Sequim and another difficult 2B team in La Conner. But since then, the new-look Red Devils (without Courtney Swan to a knee injury and Patience Swan to a transfer to Clallam Bay) have re-grouped and rattled off four wins by an impressive average margin of victory of 61-30, including a 47-38 win over Forks.
The Red Devils are led by junior sharpshooter Laila Greene, senior Cei’J Gagnon, junior Ruth Moss, sophomore post Oceanna Aguirre and have been bolstered by freshman Allie Greene and eighth-grader Ryana Moss.
Burlington-Edison handed Port Angeles one of its two losses earlier this season and have played a challenging schedule with losses to 3A Arlington and 1A powerhouse Lynden Christian.
Junior guard Katie King is a 5-foot-9 double-double machine, so the smaller Neah Bay roster will have to contain her on the glass in this one.
The Port Townsend teams face Granite Falls in the evening contests.
The Redhawk girls (1-1, 2-5) and Tigers (2-4) face off at 6:45 p.m.
Port Townsend’s boys (1-1, 1-5) take on Granite Falls (1-5) at 8:25 p.m.
Other squads participating include the Olympic and Cedarcrest boys and girls squads and the Sedro-Woolley and Kalama boys teams.
Area matchups for Saturday’s action include Granite Falls and Chimacum in a 12:05 p.m. boys game; Cedarcrest and Neah Bay in a girls matchup at 1:45 p.m.; Olympic and Port Townsend’s girls playing at 5:05 p.m. and Tyee and the Redhawk boys closing the event out with a 6:45 p.m. tip.
Other holiday hoops action
The Port Angeles and Sequim girls are in Lynden to play in the Cloud 9 Christmas Classic today and Saturday.
The Roughriders (3-0, 5-2) face 3A Ferndale (6-1) at 4:45 p.m. today and 3A Seattle Prep (4-3) at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, both games at Lynden Christian High School.
Sequim (3-0, 6-0) plays Sehome (6-1) today at 6:15 p.m. at Lynden High School and 1A power Lynden Christian (5-1) on the Lyncs home floor at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Port Angeles boys are competing in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout at the Yakima SunDome today and Saturday.
White River (7-2) and the Riders (3-0, 5-1) will meet at 9 p.m. tonight. In a quick turnaround, Port Angeles will play 1A Cashmere (2-2) at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Both games will be broadcast live online through the NFHS Network at elisportsnetwork.com for a $10 monthly subscription fee.
Sequim’s boys also are in Lynden for the Cloud 9 Christmas Classic.
The Wolves (2-1, 6-2) face Washougal (4-2) today at 3:15 p.m. at Lynden Christian and take on Sehome (3-4) at Lynden at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Forks boys (5-2) are playing in North Mason’s holiday tournament and take on the hosts (2-6) tonight at 7 p.m. and Klahowya (4-3) on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
The Spartans’ girls team hosts King’s Way Christian in a nonleague tilt at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
