Our opinion: 80th annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament set to tip off

After opening all the gifts, enjoying a big meal with family and friends and maybe debating whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie (it’s not, by the way), it’s time for another holiday tradition to take center stage.

The 80th annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament tips off at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, at the Show Me Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Sixteen area high school boys basketball teams will compete for the title in “Hoosiers”-like style — everyone in one group, from the smallest schools in the area to the largest.

Coaches decide the seedings, and this year, they designated Jackson as the No. 1 seed, followed by Cape Girardeau Central, Charleston and Notre Dame. Anyone familiar with high school basketball in this area knows those four teams are perennial powers and are likely on a collision course for later rounds in the tournament.

Leading the Indians is 6-foot-6 All-State senior Kole Deck who is averaging 30 points a game this season. But he’s not alone — seniors Kolton Thoma and Braden Thompson and freshman Jon Ernst (all 6-foot-7 of him) make Jackson a formidable favorite.

Charleston (with four players scoring in double digits) has beaten Notre Dame (keep an eye on 3-point specialist Kolton Johnson), in overtime, and Central is looking to overcome a couple personnel losses. On any given night, though, each of those teams can catch fire.

The highest-seeded small-school team in the tournament is Scott City at No. 5, followed by Woodland at No. 6. At No. 7, Bell City has a tournament championship under its belt this year, winning the Oran Invitational.

The remaining teams are, by seed: Oran, Chaffee, Meadow Heights, Leopold, Kelly, Delta, Scott County Central, Advance and Oak Ridge.

All 16 teams will be in action Dec. 26, and the tournament will conclude Monday night, Dec. 30.

The basketball is intense, and the familiarity of some match-ups contrasts with some teams playing others they rarely compete against.

Fans play a big part of the tournament, too, with thousands showing up to cheer on their home team and scout out possible down-the-road opponents.

It’s a great few days for anyone who likes high school basketball and enjoys seeing community pride on display.

We’ll see you there!