It’s the time of the year for the 2016 Pine Bluff High Holiday Classic. The Classic is set to be held from Dec. 27-29 at McFadden Gymnasium on the campus of Pine Bluff High School.
The Pine Bluff Zebras basketball team will serve as the host for the classic that has been held for a number of years. This years classic will present a pool of five teams including Pine Bluff, Marvell, McGehee, Monticello, and Clarendon. Pine Bluff Head Coach Billy Dixon was able to elaborate on the 2016 Holiday Classic.
Pine Bluff enters the classic on an upswing after winning their last four games. This classic gives the Zebras a few more chances to add wins to their record before fully indulging in conference play in January.
“It’s always been a tradition that the people of Pine Bluff look forward too,” Dixon said. “With this being a basketball community, that’s understandably so and we look to give them something to cheer for.”
Playing three games in three days is a challenge in itself. The Zebras are preparing accordingly and they believe that they’ll be ready to roll, Dixon said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We’ll look to play a little more zone to save our legs,” Dixon said. “We will look at things we need to improve on heading into conference. It’s three games in three days, but we did it in Benton earlier this season so it’s not new to us. We have to do what we do most effectively, and we want to execute half court basketball.”
The McGehee Owls have gotten off to a nice start under Head Coach Jerome Pace. So far, the Owls have only suffered one loss on the season, while picking up a couple of impressive wins over Dumas. Senior guard Taiwan Collins leads the team in scoring with 17 points per games.
The Clarendon Lions enter the classic after winning their last two games in blowout fashion. The Lions, led by Head Coach Kendrick Hudson, have suffered a couple of tough two point losses and those are the only blemishes on their record.
The Monticello Billies enter the classic on an upswing as well as they’re on an eight game winning streak. Led by Head Coach Wayne Sherrer, the Billies have been on a roll as of late and in their last outing they defeated Star City 67-48.
The Marvell Mustangs are an unfamiliar opponent for the Zebras. Marvell has showcased the ability to score a high volume of points so far this season, and against Lisa Academy they eclipsed the 100 point mark. Marvell is under the leadership of Head Coach Gladric Thrower, and they enter the classic with two losses on the season.
The 2016 Pine Bluff Holiday Classic is all set, and for the next three days you’ll be able to enjoy high school hoops action.
“We look forward to the people in the community to come out and support as we’ve been on the road for a while,” Dixon said.