New River CTC Invitational starts Tuesday
Jan. 1—The banners may change, but the Armory will continue as the basketball center of southern West Virginia this week.
After the Little General Battle for the Armory last Thursday and Friday and the WVU Tech men getting another nonconference win on Saturday, the sixth annual New River CTC Invitational will take center stage. The tournament runs Tuesday through Saturday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
The tournament normally runs six days but will be cut down to five this year because of New Year's Day. Still, 29 games will be played over the course of the event.
Things will tip off Tuesday with five games, culminating with three-time Class AAA state finalist Shady Spring taking on Westside at 8 p.m.
The girls get their turn on Wednesday with three games. Shady Spring will play its first game in Raleigh County this season, taking on Bluefield at 1 p.m. Reigning Class AA state champion Wyoming East will face Class AAAA Princeton at 2:45 p.m.
After the Wyoming East and Princeton boys meet at 430 p.m. and the Woodrow Wilson boys play Musselman at 6:15 p.m, night No. 2 will close with Woodrow Wilson meeting Spring Valley in a rematch of the Class AAAA state quarterfinal game last March.
Highlighting Thursday's schedule will be the boys teams from Greenbrier West and Independence at 2:45 p.m. in what is always a competitive game. There will also be four winners and losers brackets games on tap.
On Friday, the annual game between the Raleigh County and Fayette County Special Olympics teams will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
There will also be four middle school teams. In fact, the middle school division will both start and end the tournament.
Greater Beckley Christian will take on Eastern Greenbrier in the first game of the week Tuesday at 1 p.m. Independence, off to a 5-0 start, will play Mullens at 6:15 p.m.
The losing teams from those games will play each other Friday at 11 a.m.
The tournament will conclude with Tuesday's winning middle school teams facing off Saturday at 8 p.m.
Here is the complete schedule:
New River CTC Invitational
Tuesday, Jan. 2
1 p.m. — Middle school, Eastern Greenbrier vs. Greater Beckley Christian
2:45 p.m. — Boys, Webster County vs. Mercer Christian
4:30 p.m. — Boys, Liberty vs. James Monroe
6:15 p.m. — Middle school, Mullens vs. Independence
8 p.m. — Boys, Westside vs. Shady Spring
Wednesday, Jan. 3
1 p.m. — Girls, Bluefield vs. Shady Spring
2:45 p.m. — Girls, Princeton vs. Wyoming East
4:30 p.m. — Boys, Wyoming East vs. Princeton
6:15 p.m. — Boys, Musselman vs. Woodrow Wilson
8 p.m. — Girls, Spring Valley vs. Woodrow Wilson
Thursday, Jan. 4
11:15 a.m. — Boys, Webster County/Mercer Christian loser vs. Liberty/James Monroe loser
1 p.m. — Girls, Bluefield/Shady Spring loser vs. Princeton/Wyoming East loser
2:45 p.m. — Boys, Greenbrier West vs. Independence
4:30 p.m. — Girls, Bluefield/Shady Spring winner vs. Princeton/Wyoming East winner
6:15 p.m. — Boys, Greenbrier East vs. PikeView
8 p.m. — Boys, Webster County/Mercer Christian winner vs. Liberty/James Monroe winner
Friday, Jan. 5
11 a.m. — Middle school, Eastern Greenbrier/Greater Beckley Christian loser vs. Mullens/Independence loser
12:30 p.m. — Boys, Summers County vs. Westside
2:15 p.m. — Girls, University vs. Huntington
4 p.m. — Boys, Cabell Midland vs. Wyoming East
5:30 p.m. — Special Olympics, Fayette County vs. Raleigh County
6:45 p.m. — Boys, Elkins vs. Shady Spring
8:30 p.m. — Boys, Huntington vs. Bluefield
Saturday, Jan. 6
11:15 a.m. — Girls, Spring Valley/Woodrow Wilson loser vs. University/Huntington loser
1 p.m. — Boys, PikeView vs. Elkins
2:45 p.m. — Girls, Spring Valley/Woodrow Wilson winner vs. University/Huntington winner
4:30 p.m. — Boys, Cabell Midland vs. Greenbrier East
6:15 p.m. — Boys, Princeton vs. Huntington
8 p.m. — Middle school, Eastern Greenbrier/Greater Beckley Christian winner vs. Mullens/Independence winner
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5
