HEALTHY FIELD IS NO HOLIDAY: HEALTHSOUTH HOLIDAY CLASSIC ASSEMBLES EIGHT VIBRANT PROGRAMS

Eight teams.

Forty wins, five losses.

One HealthSouth Holiday Classic.

That adds up to one of the most competitive high school girls basketball tournaments in the state. The tournament will showcase some of the area's best teams and players and will begin today at 6 p.m. Games will also be played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

To give an indication of just how tough the bracket is, Massac County (Ill.) is 8-1 and is the sixth seed.

"A lot of these teams will compete for district and state championships," said event organizer and Cape Central coach Mark Ruark. "I can't imagine a better girls tournament in Missouri."

The tournament will include four of the top teams in Southeast Missouri, including No. 1 seed Poplar Bluff (6-1) -- the defending Class 4A runner up. Notre Dame (7-1) got the second seed, while Jackson (3-0) and Cape Central (4-1) followed at No. 3 and 4, respectively.

Farmington (5-1), whose only loss was to Jackson, got the fifth seed, followed by Massac County, Hopkinsville, Ky. (4-1) and Perryville (3-2).

"This has got to be the toughest tournament around," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "From one to eight, anyone could win this tournament. You couldn't ask for a better field and the toughness of these games gets you ready for your season later on."

Not only will this tournament feature some of the best teams in the area, it will highlight several all-state candidates, including three -- Jackson's Andrea Koeper, Notre Dame's Lisa Millham and Poplar Bluff's Ashley Williams who were all-staters last year. Other area players to watch include Cape Central's Katie Dougherty, Notre Dame's Deana McCormick, Perryville's Jamie Amberger and Farmington's Lisa Boyd.

All of the aforementioned players are scoring between 12 and 18 points per game.

Farmington and Hopkinsville are new teams in the tournament this year. Scott County Central, which was overmatched against the much larger schools in recent years, dropped out. It was a seven-team tournament last year.

"Ever since we signed Farmington and Hopkinsville a year ago, I've been looking forward to this," said Ruark, who has been the tournament organizer since 1996 but is participating in it for the first time as a coach. "We went out and tried to find the toughest competition we could find. It's really exciting for girls basketball and I hope we get a good turnout."

Poplar Bluff has won the last three HealthSouth Classics. The only other champion was Jackson, in 1996.

Notre Dame (No. 2)

The Lady Bulldogs enter the tournament after a loss to Cape Central, a game which occurred after the seeding meeting was held.

"I don't think it's a bad thing coming in off a loss," Grim said. "I hope we learned from the loss and come back and play a good tournament."

Notre Dame will take on Hopkinsville in the first round at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Hopkinsville is 4-1 with its only setback being a five-point loss to the third-ranked team in Kentucky, a state which has only one class size.

"Our assistant coach, Craig Millham went and scouted them and they've got a good team," said Grim. "They've got good size and some good guards. There's not going to be an easy game in this tournament."

Not that the seeds matter all that much in a tournament where the teams are so close to one another, but Grim was somewhat surprised that Notre Dame was seeded second.

"We beat Jackson twice last year, but Cape Central beat us twice," he said. "They lost one pretty quick guard but they got almost everybody else back. They've got a real good team."

Notre Dame is led in scoring and rebounding by junior center Deana McCormick, while Millham, a quick, sharp-shooting guard, averages about 15 a game.

Jackson (No. 3)

The Lady Indians (3-0) are the only team to come in undefeated, but they've also played the fewest games of any team in the tournament.

Jackson relies heavily upon Koeper, who is averaging about 18 points per game.

When asked if Koeper was the best player in this tournament, Jackson coach Ron Cook said, "She could be. The point guard at Poplar Bluff is pretty good, but I think Andrea will be the top player."

It's almost automatic that Koeper will get her points, but Jackson's success will depend upon the production of other players.

Alisha Burns, Whitney Werner and Jenna Leet have all been vital in the Lady Indians' success this year, which includes a Farmington Tournament title.

Cape Central (No. 4)

The Lady Tigers already know they're capable of beating the second seed. Cape Central knocked off Notre Dame 55-43 in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.

Cape Central's only loss came to Francis Howell in the championship game of the Oakville Tournament.

It was a game that Cape Central probably should've won.

"Looking back on it, that disappointing loss to Francis Howell may have been a good thing," said Ruark. "Ever since then, we've been more spirited in games and in practices."

Central is led by Dougherty, a 6-foot-1 do-it-all player who can play all five positions on the court. Dougherty is averaging a team-high 12 points per game.

Heather Jenkins, a 5-11 center, is putting in about 10 points and pulling down about eight rebounds per game. Sara Hyslop is also averaging 10 points per contest. The Lady Tigers have had seven players score in double figures this season.

Ruark has been particularly pleased with the progress of senior point guard Amber Voerg, who is playing for the first time since her freshman year.

"It's been really pleasing to watch Amber develop," said Ruark. "We put her at the point which is arguably the most important position on the floor and she's gotten better every game. I knew by the end of the year, she'd be one of the better point guards in the area, but I didn't expect it so quickly."

Perryville (No. 8)

One needs no further proof that this is a tough tournament than the fact that Perryville is the eighth seed.

The Lady Pirates (3-2) played Class 3A power Doniphan to five points earlier this year and suffered a 15-point loss to Notre Dame in the championship game of the Perryville Tournament.

Though Perryville is an extreme long shot to beat Poplar Bluff, Lady Pirates coach Vicki Lohmann sees this as an opportunity for her team to improve and prepare.

"Win or lose, we just want to play good games," Lohmann said. "We're going to go over there and take one quarter at a time and see what happens.

"I'm fortunate to be in this tournament. I know we have the eighth seed, but anybody you face in this tournament will be a tough task in the first round. It will tough all the way through."

Amberger leads Perryville with about 15 points per contest.