TNL Express

Holiday Basketball Tournaments

 

 Granite City Classic

When, where: Friday and Saturday, St. Cloud State University
Teams: Fourteen teams including Class 4A, No. 1 Apple Valley, No. 5 Champlin Park, No. 9 Roseville, No. 16 Prior Lake and No. 19 St. Francis; Class 3A, No. 6 Delano, No. 10 Big Lake and No. 15 Blake; and Class 1A, No. 1 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.
Of note: The defending Class 4A state champion Eagles, led by Duke-bound Tyus Jones, play Roseville in the final game on Friday and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the last game on Saturday. Roseville will also square off with Champlin Park on Saturday. Blake opens the tournament against Big Lake. The Bears have struggled through their first seven games (3-4), and play Big Lake on Friday.

Rochester Rotary Classic
When, where: Thursday through Saturday, Mayo Civic Center
Teams: Defending champion Class 4A, No. 11 Woodbury returns to the eight-team field. So does No. 6 Osseo, which won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. Those two schools could be a semifinal matchup. Other ranked teams include No. 15 Minnetonka and Class 2A, No. 20 Rochester Lourdes.
Of note: Rochester might host the event, but it hasn’t provided much of a homecourt advantage. In the past 18 years, only one Rochester school (Mayo in 1999) has come away with the crown.

Lakeville North Tournament
When, where: Friday-Saturday, Lakeville North High School
Teams: A quaint but quality four-team field that features the host school and high-scoring forward J.P. Macura. The Xavier recruit already has eclipsed 40 points three times this season. Class 3A, No. 2 Holy Family will open against Class 4A, No. 17 Shakopee. Lakeville North, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, plays White Bear Lake, which has already fallen to three ranked Class 4A teams.