Big Capital City Classic Hoops Tournament is back
Event unveils intriguing boys bracket, has added girls tourney this year
Willamette and Corban Universities will be crawling with basketball teams and their fans over the holiday breakāas the Capital City Classic Tournament returns for its seventh year, including a girls bracket for the first time.
Brackets for the event were revealed on line Thursday night.
There are a number of captivating matchups in round one of the tournament, which begins with boys play on Friday, December 16th, at Willamette Universityās Sparks Center.
Game two at 7:00 pm on 12/16 matches two local powers.Ā 6A power and defending tournament champion West Salem, featuring 6-7 post Trent Ferguson and a deep group of sharp shooters led by 6-3 junior Connor Oertel, faces 2A Regis of Staytonāwhich is ranked fifth in the preseason coachesā poll. That game is preceded by the opening contest between 6A contenders Sherwood and Beaverton at 5:30.
In game three at 8:30 on that same night, the 6Aās top ranked preseason teamāWest Linnāsquares off against a sharp-shooting South Salem squad paced by juniors Eli Gabriel (6-3) and Greg Comer (6-0).
Saturday, December 17th, includes a full slate of games that begin at 2:30 pm at Willamette.
National powers John Paul II of Plano, Texas, St. John Bosco of Bellflower, California, and Modesto (CA) Christian will play against local teams during the day.Ā
John Paul II faces an athletic Gresham Gopher team in the 2:30 pm opener.Ā Modesto Christian squares off against the hard-nosed Canby Cougars at 5:30, while the upstart Sprague Olympians will meet St. John Bosco in the 8:30 pm contest.
Two games featuring Oregon powers will be played in the afternoon session.Ā
At 4:00 pm, defending 4A champion Cascade of Turner, ranked second in the preseason poll, will face Central of Independenceāranked #8 in the 5A coachesā poll.
At 5:30, Wilsonville and Silverton lock horns in a matchup of longtime 5A rivals. Ā Wilsonville is ranked #2 in the 5A coaches survey, while Silverton is listed at #10.
The girlsā tournament at Corban University in South Salem starts on Monday, December 19th.
The opening game at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center is at 4:00 pm. Perennial basketball power Oregon City will meet 5A contender Rex Putnam, rated ninth in the preseason coachesā poll.
The 7:00 pm game will involve a pair of mid-Valley teams. 5A contender Central of Independence will face West Salemāconsidered this yearās top team in the Central Valley Conference.
In the other half of the eight-team bracket, Willamette of Eugene will square off against Newberg at 5:30 pm. Both teams are 6A teams with a history of post season success.
The 8:30 pm, two teams with a great playoff pedigree meet up.Ā 5A Silverton, ranked fourth in the preseason poll, will contend against 6A South Salemāa young squad expected to be a playoff contender in the Central Valley Conference.
Tickets for both tournament brackets are available to purchase online.Ā Go to https://www.capitolcityclassic.com/tickets for details on ticket packages.Ā Tickets may also be purchased at the game sites, as space allows.