South Lenoir Girls Basketball to Host Inaugural Deep Run Christmas Tournament

Dec 17

Dec 17 South Lenoir Girls Basketball to Host Inaugural Deep Run Christmas Tournament

South Lenoir Girls Basketball to Host Inaugural Deep Run Christmas Tournament

DEEP RUN — South Lenoir High School will tip off its inaugural Deep Run Girls Basketball Christmas Tournament on Dec. 17-18, offering a competitive two-day showcase for area teams and an opportunity to celebrate the holiday season with high school basketball.

Neuse Charter and Lejeune will square off at 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 17 in the opening game, followed by host South Lenoir facing off against West Carteret at 7:00 p.m. The winners of each matchup will advance to the championship game on Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m., while the third-place game will take place earlier at 5:00 p.m.

For South Lenoir head coach Zach Pierce, the idea of hosting this tournament stems from a love of the game and the competitive atmosphere of bracket play.

“Well, my favorite ‘holiday’ is March Madness, so I’m obsessed with tournaments and brackets,” Zach Pierce said. “I felt like hosting a tournament, I hope, will be good financially for the school. And also, this will allow my team to compete against quality teams in a competitive environment that I feel like will be valuable experience heading into conference play and hopefully the playoffs.”

The Deep Run Christmas Tournament also serves as a chance to show off South Lenoir’s new gymnasium, a facility that stands as a point of pride for the program and school community.

“Since this is the first year, it’s a great opportunity to show off our new gym,” Zach Pierce added. “I hope this can continue. It’s hard because there are a ton of Christmas tournaments around and exams are happening around this time, but I hope schools will see the competitive advantage of it. And maybe, wishful thinking, in years to come Deep Run will be the Maui of high school Christmas tournaments.”

While the challenges of holiday scheduling and competition from other tournaments exist, South Lenoir is committed to creating a meaningful experience for participating teams.