EDITORIAL: Another holiday tradition -- Christmas Tournament

Christmas is a time of traditions, and for many, sporting events come along with candlelight services and gifts under the tree. High school basketball players often find themselves in a tournament over the Christmas break, and for 75 years, boys teams from this area have gathered at the Show Me Center for the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

The tournament cranks off Thursday, and will continue Friday and Saturday before wrapping up Monday.

The names are familiar, and several matchups mirror other games during the season. And that's part of what makes this tournament feel like a family affair. It's almost like going to spend time with the cousins after Christmas morning at home. The tournament provides a chance for players, coaches and fans to reconnect with others who share their passion for the sport and the competition these games offer.

Charleston comes into the tournament as the top-seeded team and will play Scott County Central at 9 a.m. Thursday. Cape Central is the No. 2 seed and will play Woodland at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Notre Dame is the No. 3 seed (Chaffee, noon Thursday) and Jackson is No. 4 (1:30 p.m. Thursday).

But as anyone who follows sports knows, when the teams are this familiar with each other and the various rivalries are on display, seedings and records can sometimes go out the proverbial window.

We look forward to sponsoring the 75th installment of the Christmas Tournament. We wish the best of luck to all the teams and hope for safe and healthy play for all involved.

We'll see you there.