Courtesy of Tom Kendra
The Muskegon Big Reds have created most of the buzz in the first 14 years of the Meijer Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Classic basketball tournament.
But this year, the powerful Big Reds might get upstaged by the blockbuster Game 2 matchup in the three-game tournament on Wednesday at Reeths-Puffer High School.
The 15th-annual event, a post-Christmas tradition and reunion of sorts along the lakeshore, has been condensed into a one-day, three-game format. Due to the continued financial support of Meijer, the cost of the three-game event remains at $5.
This year’s tournament begins with a matchup of two standout girls teams – Reeths-Puffer vs. Oakridge at 5:30 p.m. Then comes Grand Rapids Christian vs. Holland-West Ottawa (7 p.m.) and the traditional finale of Muskegon vs. East Kentwood (8:30 p.m.).
It’s that middle game – a battle of unbeatens, preseason conference favorites and Class A state-ranked teams – which is generating plenty of additional excitement.
GR Christian (2-0), led by Mr. Basketball favorite and 6-foot-8 MSU commit Xavier Tillman, will take on West Ottawa (3-0) and 6-foot-6 star Jake VanTubbergen. Those two are far from the only standouts in that matchup, most notably Christian’s 6-foot-3 junior point guard Duane Washington – considered by many as the top junior basketball player in Michigan.
Muskegon, which downed GR Christian in last year’s Class A regional finals, then closes the tourney against traditional rival East Kentwood. Muskegon and Kentwood have played the Meijer tourney’s final game each of the past four years, with each team winning twice.
The 15th-year fundraising event has returned more than $125,000 to Greater Muskegon area schools since its inception in 2002.
For more information on the tournament and the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame, go to www.mashf.com
MEIJER MUSKEGON AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
At Reeths-Puffer High School
Tickets: $5
Wednesday, Dec. 28
5:30 p.m. – Reeths-Puffer vs. Oakridge (girls)
7 p.m. – Grand Rapids Christian vs. Holland-West Ottawa (boys)
8:30 p.m. – Muskegon vs. East Kentwood (boys)