The Harry Johnson Holiday Classic returns next week and will feature eight high school basketball boys’ teams, six high school girls’ teams, and three middle school boys’ teams competing over three days — Thursday, Dec. 26; Friday, Dec. 27; and Saturday, Dec. 28.
The venue for this year’s tournament will be at the auxilary George Washington High School gymnasium, which has been renovated. The new gym remains under construction.
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. The teams are GW, Carlisle, Hargrave Military Academy (varsity team), Magna Vista, Martinsville, Mount Zion Christian Academy, Norfolk Academy, and Orange County.
The girls’ teams also will play in a traditional tournament-style format. The teams are GW, Carlisle, Gretna, Martinsville, Norfolk Academy, and Orange County.
The middle school boys’ teams are Bonner, Martinsville, and Westwood. They will play in a round-robin format, with games at 10 a.m. each day. The Saturday game features Bonner vs. Westwood.
The seating capacity for the gym is 550. There will be two sessions each day — day and evening. For the day sessions, the gym opens at 9 a.m., with the first game at 10 a.m.
Following the day sessions, the gym will be cleared and reopened 30 minutes later for the evening sessions.
Tickets are sold at the door only. The cost will be $10 per person per session, with kids age 5 and under admitted free. Admission and concessions will be cash only.
The opening matchups on Thursday pit Westwood vs. Martinsville at 10 a.m., Harvrave Military Academy vs. Martinsville boys at 11:30 a.m., Martinsville vs. Orange County girls at 1 p.m., and Carlisle vs. Magna Vista boys at 2:30 p.m.
In the evening session, teams take the court at 5:30 p.m., with Norfolk Academy vs. Orange County in boys’ action. The game is followed by Norfolk Academy vs. GW girls at 7 p.m., and Mount Zion Christian Academy vs. GW boys at 8:30 p.m.