(NOTE: This story includes a correction and updated scheduling changes.)
It’s the holidays, which for prep basketball fans means holiday tournaments galore.
Ten of our 11 girls squads and eight of our boys teams will be participating in six tournaments across the state this coming Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 29-31. Two of the tournaments are local — the Trojan Storm Classic at Meridian and the Lynden Christmas Classic at Lynden Christian.
Watch for daily coverage at WhatcomHoops.com from each tournament. Until then, here’s a look at all the holiday tournaments involving our county teams:
Trojan Storm Winter Classic
The annual Trojan Storm Winter Classic has expanded to 17 girls teams, which will be divided into two brackets, while the boys will have their own eight-team bracket. All games will be played Monday through Wednesday at Meridian High School’s north and south gyms.
Joining host Meridian in the girls tournaments from Whatcom County will be Sehome, Blaine, Mount Baker, Bellingham, Lummi Nation, and Ferndale.
Monday’s opening-round girls games for Bracket 1 will be Sehome vs. Curtis, 10 a.m. (South gym); Meridian vs. Kamiak, 6 p.m. (North); Ridgefield vs. Port Angeles, 8 p.m. (North); Burlington-Edison vs. Bellevue Christian, 8 p.m. (South).
Monday’s opening-round girls games for Bracket 2 will be Blaine vs. Coupeville, 10 a.m. (North), Mount Baker vs. LaCenter, noon (South); Lummi Nation vs. South Whidbey, 2 p.m. (North); Bellingham vs. Federal Way, 4 p.m. (South);.
Winners and losers will square off Tuesday and Wednesday with Ferndale joining the tournament on Tuesday against the Bellingham-Federal Way loser at 6 p.m. (South). The championship games will be Wednesday at 4 p.m. for Bracket 2 (North) and 6 p.m. for Bracket 1 (North).
On the boys side, Meridian will be joined by locals Bellingham, and Lummi Nation.
Monday’s opening round has Meridian vs. Sultan, noon (North); Bellingham vs. Bellevue Christian, 2 p.m. (South); Lummi Nation vs. Eastlake, 4 p.m. (North); and North Kitsap vs. Bush, 6 p.m. (South). Consolation games and semifinals will be Tuesday with the championship game Wednesday at 2 p.m. (North).
General adult admission is $10 for the day or $25 for all three days. Seniors and students are $7 per day. (No passes are accepted.) A family pass for four is $60 with $10 for each additional child.
Lynden Christmas Classic
The annual Lynden Christmas Classic brings together eight of the best girls teams in the region, including Whatcom County’s own Lynden and host Lynden Christian, on Monday through Wednesday.
The two-time defending Class 2A state champion Lions will open against 4A Rogers of Puyallup on Monday at 4:45 p.m. The Lyncs, meanwhile, will face Napavine at 8:15 p.m. The southwest Washington school won the Class 2B state title in 2024 and placed third last year.
Monday’s other first-round games will pit White River versus Seattle Academy and River Ridge versus Snohomish.
Should Lynden and LC win, they would play in the semifinals on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., respectively, with the semifinal winners squaring off in the championship game on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
Consolation matches will be played Tuesday with third-place and fourth-place games going on Wednesday.
Single-day admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students, seniors and military personnel. Tournament passes are $25 for adults and $15 for children, students, seniors, and military. LC students with ASB cards and children 6 and under are free.
Burlington-Edison Holiday Tournament
The Sehome boys head south for the two-day, four-team Burlington-Edison Holiday Tournament. The Mariners open against Thomas Jefferson on Monday at 5:40 p.m.
Should Sehome win, the Mariners would play on Tuesday at 2:35 p.m. against the winner between the Northwest School and host Burlington. Should the Mariners lose Monday, they’d play the Northwest-Burlington loser Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament
The Lynden Christian and Squalicum boys will be at the Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Mountlake Terrace High School.
On Monday, the Storm will meet Sumner at 4:30 p.m., and the Lyncs will face Seattle Academy at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, Squalicum will take on Juanita at 3 p.m., and Lynden Christian will square off against Sumner at 6 p.m.
Other teams in the tournament are Jackson, Curtis, and the host Hawks. A single-day pass for all games is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors/students/children.
T-Town Throwdown
The Nooksack Valley boys and girls will be at the 11th annual T-Town Throwdown, which will feature 16 teams from across the state and run Monday through Wednesday at Silas and Foss high schools in Tacoma.
On the girls side, the Pioneers will open against Puyallup on Monday at 12:30 p.m. at Foss.
Should Nooksack Valley beat the Class 4A school, the Pioneers would play the winner of the Bethel-Bainbridge game on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. Should the Pioneers lose Monday, they would play the Bethel-Bainbridge loser at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Other teams entered are Juanita, Kelso, South Kitsap, and host Silas. Consolation games for third and fourth places and the championship final will be played Wednesday.
On the boys side, the Pioneers will open against 4A Bonney Lake on Monday at 2 p.m. at Silas. The winner would take on the winner of the Prairie-Newport contest in a semifinal on Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. with the losers playing a consolation game at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Also entered are Renton, Franklin Pierce, and hosts Foss and Silas. Consolation games for third and fourth places and the championship final will be played Wednesday.
Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout
The Lynden boys once again are participating in one of the state’s biggest tournaments, the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout in Yakima, on Monday and Tuesday.
The Lions will face Eisenhower on Monday at 3:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Lynden will play Selah at 3 p.m.
Also in the boys tournament are Quincy, Fort Vancouver, Toppenish, Riverside, Brewster, La Center, Seattle Christian, Wapato, East Valley, King’s Way, Cascade Christian, Port Angeles, Ridgefield, Bainbridge, Zillah, Grandview, Lakewood, Davis, Lake Stevens, West Valley (Yakima), and Glacier Peak.
In the girls tournament are Selah, Deer Park, Zillah, and West Valley.
For more information, click on SunDome Shootout.
