Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament puts spotlight on local basketball

OK, so you've opened your gifts. Your belly is full, and at this point come Tuesday morning, you're bored with the Scrabble and Monopoly. You need to get out of the house. So why not some basketball?

The Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament is a longstanding holiday tradition around these parts. In fact, 73 years strong. Sixteen area high schools and their fans come together at the Show Me Center for boys basketball bragging rights. Can the underdogs topple the giants? Will one of the traditional powerhouses take home the trophy? What individual standouts will shine?

The tournament is filled with ups and downs, highs and lows and lots of drama, particularly as the bracket unfolds and the competition gets more fierce.

Before you go, check out our pre-tournament coverage at semoball.com/christmas. There you can find a podcast, match-up times and the bracket. The games start Tuesday at 9 a.m. and end late Dec. 30. Cape Girardeau Central is the top seed, followed by Notre Dame, Charleston and Jackson.

We expect it to be a fantastic and hard-fought tournament.

We hope to see you there, and wish all the teams, coaches, cheerleaders and referees the best of luck.