Tis the time of year for holiday tournaments and games that really don't carry a lot of intensity in the big picture of things, but that actually won't be the case at Clarkston on Thursday night.
In what should be an interesting matchup to say the least, Troy Athens will play at Clarkston in an Oakland Activities Association boys basketball crossover.
Normally this might not seem like that big of a deal since Clarkston is traditionally a way better program than Athens, but remember a couple of things.
One, Athens beat Clarkston at Athens last year in December. That was no doubt one of the best wins Athens has had in recent memory, so that'll give the Red Hawks some confidence going into Clarkston's gym, and of course it will also give Clarkston plenty of incentive for payback.
Two, these are two teams that are off to a good start. The Wolves haven't lost yet and won at Orchard Lake St. Mary's to open the season, while Athens is also unbeaten with wins over a good Troy team and an improved Oxford team this season.
Without doubt, Thursday should be a lot more entertaining than your usual December game.
- The last two seasons the girls basketball teams with the best chances of getting to the state's final four were Birmingham Detroit Country Day in Class B and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes in Class D. Doesn't look like much is different this year. With Country Day and WOLL have terrific guard combinations back and no standout Class A team in the area this year, the Yellowjackets and Lakers once again are the best bets to reach East Lansing