The Harry Johnson Holiday Classic returns next week and will feature six high school basketball boys’ teams, four high school girls’ teams, and three middle school boys’ teams competing over three days — Wednesday, Dec. 27; Thursday, Dec. 28; and Friday, Dec. 29.
The venue for this year’s tournament will be the O.T. Bonner Middle School gymnasium on Apollo Avenue. The change was made because the George Washington High School gymnasium is undergoing renovations.
The tournament honors the late Harry Johnson, who coached the GW boys’ team for 19 years and led them to a state championship in 1996.
The high school boys’ teams will play in a traditional tournament-style format that will include GW, Hargrave Military Academy (varsity team), Martinsville, Mount Zion Christian Academy, Norfolk Academy, and Orange County. They will play at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday; 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday; and 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The game at 7:30 p.m. Friday is for the tournament championship.
The high school girls’ teams also will play in a traditional tournament-style format that will include GW, Gretna, Martinsville, and Orange County. They will play at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 1 p.m. on Thursday; and 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday. The 6 p.m. game on Friday is for the tournament championship.
The middle school boys’ teams are Bonner, Martinsville, and Westwood. They will play in a round-robin format, with games at 1 p.m. on Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. on Thursday; and 10 a.m. on Friday. The 10 a.m. game on Friday features Bonner vs. Westwood.
The seating capacity for the gym is 500. There will be two sessions each day — day and evening. For the day sessions, the gym opens at noon on Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, and 9 a.m. on Friday.
Following the day sessions, the gym will be cleared for the evening sessions, with the gym opening at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
All tickets are $10 per person per session. Admission will be cash only. Parking will be available in the lot between the Bonner and Westwood schools and on Apollo Avenue. The school entrance from Piney Forest Road will be restricted to teams and tournament officials. The Police Department will assist with traffic control.
The opening matchups on Wednesday pit Bonner vs. Martinsville at 1 p.m. in middle school boys’ action and the Martinsville girls vs. Gretna at 2:30 p.m. The varsity boys’ teams take the court at 4 p.m., with Martinsville battling Orange County. For Wednesday’s evening session, GW will face Norfolk Academy at 7 p.m.
On Thursday, Westwood will play Martinsville at 11:30 a.m. in middle school boys’ action, followed by the GW girls vs. Orange County at 1 p.m. and a varsity boys’ loser bracket game at 2:30 p.m.
On Thursday evening, varsity boys’ winner bracket games will be played at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., opening with Mount Zion facing the winner from Wednesday’s contest of Martinsville vs. Orange County, and followed by Hargrave facing the winner from Wednesday’s matchup of GW vs. Norfolk Academy.
On Friday, Bonner and Westwood will square off at 10 a.m., followed by the varsity girls’ loser bracket game at 11:30 a.m., and the varsity boys’ loser bracket games at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
On Friday evening, the varsity girls’ championship will be played at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity boys’ championship game at 7:30 p.m.