LOWER LAKE >> While the fall sports season isn”t quite over in Lake County, the winter sports season is popping up everywhere you look as the county”s basketball and wrestling teams prepare for their openers.
And with December just a few days off, basketball tournaments will soon be in full force, including the Stokes Tournament on Dec. 4-6 in Kelseyville and the 21st annual Record-Bee Hoop Classic on Dec. 18-20 at Lower Lake High School”s new gym.
The Hoop Classic is a junior varsity and varsity boys” basketball tournament contested over three days using a round-robin format. Competing teams are Clear Lake, Kelseyville, Lower Lake and Middletown. Middletown”s JVs and Clear Lake”s varsity topped the field at last year”s tournament in Lakeport.
All proceeds from the tournament benefit the host high school. Officials fees are offset by tournament entry fees while all awards are purchased by the Record-Bee, which also produces the tournament programs.
Tournament awards include team trophies for the first- and second-place teams in the JV and varsity divisions, All-Tourney and MVP awards in each division, a spirit trophy for the top cheerleading squad, and free-throw and 3-point awards for special contest winners.
The first Hoop Classic was contested in 1994 at Middletown High School. The tournament, which was the idea of former Middletown High School varsity boys” basketball coach Bill Foltmer, used a five-team, week-long format until Upper Lake dropped out following the 17th annual tournament in 2010.
