MIDDLE SCHOOLS: Whisnant Basketball tournaments begin Tuesday

Both Northview teams unbeaten, seeded No. 1 at Mill Creek

 

By CHRIS HOBBS

HobbsDailyReport.com

CLAREMONT – One of the highlights of middle school sports in Catawba County is returning this week.

The 42nd annual Kermit Whisnant Memorial Basketball Tournament – featuring all the girls’ and boys’ teams from the Catawba Valley Middle School Athletic Conference — will be played Tuesday through Friday at Mill Creek Middle School.

Due to COVID-19, the last Whisnant tournaments were played in 2020.

Northview won both league regular-season titles, each going 14-0 – and the girls will play the tournament’s opening game on Tuesday at 4 p.m. against No. 8 Arndt (0-14).

The Northview boys meet No. 8 River Bend (2-12) on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.

The middle school tournaments began to carry the name of Whisnant after he died in 2005. His long career in athletics and administration included being a coach at Maiden High (including head football coach).

Whisnant was principal at Tuttle Elementary when he retired, after having worked diligently to develop a model for how local middle school athletics would be administrated. He became director of middle school athletics for the Catawba County Schools in 1999.

Whisnant died on Jan. 5, 2005 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., following a brief illness.

Admission at the tournament is $5 and tournament officials announced they will not honor Catawba County, Hickory City or Newton-Conover City Schools employee passes or any Tarheel/Catawba County Golden Years passes.

Passes accepted at the gate will be: North Carolina Coaches Association, North Carolina High School Athletic Association Officials’ Association and all press passes.

42ND ANNUAL KERMIT WHISNANT

MEMORIAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

(all games at Mill Creek Middle)

TUESDAY, JAN. 31

GIRLS

No. 8 Arndt (0-14) vs. No. 1 Northview (14-0), 4 p.m.

No. 7 Mill Creek (4-10) vs. No. 2 Maiden (11-3), 6:30 p.m.

BOYS

No. 8 River Bend (2-12) vs. No. 1 Northview (14-0), 5:15 p.m.

No. 7 Jacobs Fork (2-12) vs. No. 7 Arndt (12-2), 7:45 p.m.

 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1

GIRLS

No. 5 River Bend (5-9) vs. No. 4 Grandview (8-6), 4 p.m.

No. 6 Newton-Conover vs. No. 3 Jacobs Fork (10-4), 6:30 p.m.

BOYS

No. 5 Grandview (5-9) vs. No. 4 Maiden (8-6), 5:15 p.m.

No. 6 Mill Creek (4-10) vs. No. 3 Newton-Conover (9-5), 7:45 p.m.

 

THURSDAY, FEB. 2

GIRLS

Arndt-Northview winner vs. River Bend-Grandview winner, semifinal, 4 p.m.

Newton-Conover-Jacobs Fork winner vs. Mill Creek-Maiden winner, semifinal, 6:30 p.m.

BOYS

River Bend-Northview winner vs. Grandview-Maiden winner, semifinal, 5:15 p.m.

Newton-Conover-Mill Creek winner vs. Jacobs Fork-Ardnt winner, semifinal, 7:45 p.m.

 

FRIDAY, FEB. 3

GIRLS

Semifinal winners, championship, 6 p.m.

BOYS

Semifinal winners, championship, 7:30 p.m.

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