Two basketball tournaments started up on Wednesday in Central Oregon — the Sisters Holiday Shootout tournament and the Les Schwab Oregon Holiday Hoopfest.
The Sisters tournament has been going on for around two decades.
“I think a lot of coaches like it because they are kind of getting ready for league, and it is a good opportunity to line up against good competition and get ready to start playing when it really counts,” said Sisters Athletic Director Gary Thorson.
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This year, it brought in 16 varsity teams and eight JV teams, something Sisters Athletic Director Gary Thorson says is good for the community.
“I think we are a good destination. I think people like the small town feel we got going on downtown,” said Thorson. “A lot of great businesses are here that are very welcoming when the teams come and a lot of the teams that are here have been coming here for a long time.”
One of those schools that consistently participates is Junction City — a trip that girl’s head coach Marcus Campbell says is a lot about basketball but also knows it’s a crucial time for team bonding.
“It’s fun for us to come over and see some snow and a little bit of weather stuff like that, but it is nice to get our girls out of their hometown comfort zone, coming over and spending three days at that team building, team bonding type stuff and we will work on some goals and get to know each other a little bit,” said Campbell.
The Les Schwab Oregon Holiday Hoopfest, hosted by Summit, is a bracket built for the bigger schools.
“It’s fun. It’s nice to be able to stay in town during the break, and it is good, we get some good teams over, over here in Central Oregon, and it’s fun games,” said Summit senior Ben Strang.
The two tournaments continue through Friday.
