Tournaments lie ahead

It won’t take long for local high school basketball schedules to hit high gear, with all area schools playing three games next week in preseason tournaments.
Iola High’s Mustangs and Fillies head to Burlington Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for the Burlington Preseason Tournament.
The Iola squads will take on the host Wildcats Tuesday. The Fillies tip off at 6 o’clock; the Mustangs at about 7:45 in Burlington High School gymnasium.
Both Iola squads return to Burlington 24 hours later for the second round, this time against Louisburg.
Results from the two preliminary rounds will determine what time the Fillies and Mustangs play on Friday, either at Burlington High  School or Burlington Middle School.
Tournament organizers were forced to change locations from Baldwin to Burlington because of ongoing sewer repairs in the Baldwin Middle School locker rooms.

THREE OTHER AREA schools will host preseason tournaments.
Humboldt will host Crest, Uniontown and Erie for a round-robin festival beginning Tuesday. Crest’s girls play Erie at 4 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the Crest and Erie boys at about 5:30. Humboldt’s girls and boys host Uniontown at about 7 and 8:30 p.m., respectively.
After the 4 o’clock game tips off, subsequent games those nights will begin 20 minutes after the previous game has concluded.
Humboldt will host Crest on Thursday night in the second round, with the girls tipping off about 7 and the boys at 8:30. Crest then takes on Uniontown Friday, with the girls beginning at 4 p.m., the boys at about 5:30. Humboldt’s girls host Erie at about 7, followed by the boys at about 8:30.

MARMATON VALLEY will host Northeast-Arma, Olpe and Howard, respectively, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
The Wildcat girls tip off against Northeast at 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the boys at 7:30. The time repeats on Thursday for Marmaton Valley against Olpe’s boys and girls, and again on Friday when the Wildcats take on Howard.

YATES CENTER, the only area school that has not yet played a game, will host the Wildcat Winter Classic starting Monday.
The Wildcat girls will take on Southern Coffey County at 6:15 p.m., followed by the boys at 8 o’clock. Both games will be in Yates Center’s Norris gymnasium.
On Tuesday, Southern Coffey County returns to action, this time in the East Gymnasium. The Lady Titans take on Altoona-Midway at 6:15 p.m., the boys at 8 o’clock.
Yates Center hosts Altoona-Midway on Thursday, also in the East Gymnasium. Again, the girls tip off at 6:15, the boys at 8.