Time to tip it off: District 9 basketball opens Friday night

Photo Information: Karns City’s LeeAnn Gibson and her Lady Gremlins teammates make their season debut at the Indiana Tip-Off Tournament Friday night. Gibson and teammate Shanel Preston are preseason all-district players. (Apex Imaging Photo by Mike Schnelle)

By Rich Rhoades

The 2014-15 District 9 basketball season gets started with a bang Friday night as 52 of the district’s 70 teams — 27 of 35 girls and 25 of 35 boys teams — play this weekend. Check the full schedule below.

Our team schedule pages are here for the boys and girls.

District teams are involved in 11 boys’ tournaments and 16 girls’ tournaments in all with a handful of non-tournament games scheduled for Friday night.

One team, the Punxsutawney Chucks, have the rare distinction of playing a season-opening doubleheader at the Marion Center Tournament, which really isn’t a tournament since only three teams make up the field. The defending Class AAA champion Chucks get to play after breakfast when they tip it off first against West Shamokin at 10 a.m. and then meet host Marion Center at 3 p.m.

Forest Area, the newly formed basketball co-op between East and West Forest schools, debuts by hosting tip-off tournaments for both the boys and girls. Forest Area’s home court will bounce between both East and West gymnasiums — check your local listings — with this weekend’s tournaments all set for East Forest in Marienville.

Seven of the 27 tournaments involving district teams follow a “classic” format with pre-set games on both days and no champion crowned.

Some odds and ends:

— Four tournaments offer looks at an all-district field, including both Brookville tournaments, the Keystone boys’ tournament and Brockway girls’ tournament.

— Where are the defending champions opening?

Boys
Class AAA: Punxsutawney, as mentioned, at Marion Center with a Saturday doubleheader.

Class AA: Brookville hosts its own tournament, opening with defending KSAC champion Clarion-Limestone Friday night.

Class A: Ridgway plays a non-conference game at home against Smethport Friday night.

Girls
Class AAA: Bradford plays at the Hollidaysburg Tournament, opening with Blairsville Friday night.

Class A: Clarion heads to the Kittanning Tournament, opening with the hosts Friday night.

Friday, Dec. 5
BOYS
REGULAR SEASON
Allegheny Mountain League
Johnsonburg at DuBois Central Catholic
Non-League
Smethport at Ridgway
Curwensville at Moshannon Valley
Kane at Cameron County, ppd. to Jan. 2
TOURNAMENTS
Brookville
Brockway vs. Union, 4:30 p.m.
Brookville vs. Clarion-Limestone, 7:30 p.m.
Keystone
DuBois vs. Keystone, 6:30 p.m.
Venango Catholic vs. St. Marys, 8 p.m.
Forest Area (at East Forest H.S., Marienville)
Tidioute Charter vs. Forest Area, 6 p.m.
A-C Valley vs. Warren County Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Sheffield
Youngsville vs. Sheffield, 4 p.m.
Austin vs. Eisenhower, 7 p.m.
Olean N.Y.
Maple Grove N.Y. vs. Hornell N.Y., 6 p.m.
Bradford vs. Olean N.Y., 8 p.m.
Mercer
North East vs. Reynolds, 6 p.m.
Moniteau vs. Mercer, 7:30 p.m.
Rocky Grove
Cranberry vs. Maplewood, 5:30 p.m.
Cochranton vs. Rocky Grove, 8:30 p.m.
Meadville
Erie Central Tech vs. Andrew Osborne Academy, Ohio, 7 p.m.
Redbank Valley vs. Meadville, 8:30 p.m.
Marion Center
West Shamokin vs. Marion Center, 8 p.m.
Cowanesque Valley
Oswayo Valley vs. Bucktail
Northern Potter vs. Cowanesque Valley, 8 p.m.
Portville
Thursday: Portville N.Y. vs. Bolivar-Richburg N.Y.
Friday: Port Allegany vs. Olean-Walsh N.Y., 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS
REGULAR SEASON
Allegheny Mountain League
Ridgway at Elk County Catholic
TOURNAMENTS
Brookville
Clearfield vs. North Clarion, 3 p.m.
Brookville vs. Clarion-Limestone, 6 p.m.
Brockway
Redbank Valley vs. DuBois Central Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Brockway vs. Moshannon Valley, 8 p.m.
Forest Area (at East Forest H.S., Marienville)
Warren County Christian vs. Forest Area, 3 p.m.
A-C Valley vs. Tidioute Charter, 4:30 p.m.
Sheffield
Port Allegany vs. Youngsville, 5:30 p.m.
Eisenhower vs. Sheffield, 8:30 p.m.
Rocky Grove
Venango Catholic vs. Maplewood, 4 p.m.
Calvary Baptist vs. Rocky Grove, 7 p.m.
Franklin
Kennedy Catholic vs. Keystone, 4 p.m.
Erie First Christian vs. Franklin, 7 p.m.
Hollidaysburg
Bradford vs. Blairsville, 6:30 p.m.
Hollidaysburg vs. Bellwood-Antis, 8 p.m.
Kittanning
Hickory vs. Laurel, 3:30 p.m.
Clarion vs. Kittanning, 6:30 p.m.
Marion Center
Westmont Hilltop vs. Punxsutawney, 5 p.m.
West Shamokin vs. Marion Center, 6:30 p.m.
Oil City
Union vs. Lakeview, 6:30 p.m.
Cranberry vs. Oil City, 8 p.m.
Penns Manor
Conemaugh Twp. vs. Bishop Carroll, 6:15 p.m.
DuBois vs. Penns Manor, 8:15 p.m.
Indiana
Bishop McCort vs. Karns City, 3:30 p.m.
Latrobe vs. Indiana, 6:30 p.m.
Shenango
Moniteau vs. Wilmington, 6 p.m.
Union-New Castle vs. Shenango, 7:30 p.m.
Cowanesque Valley
Cowanesque Valley vs. Northern Potter, 3:30 p.m.
Unknown
Portville
Thursday: Portville N.Y. vs. West Valley N.Y.
Friday: Franklinville N.Y. vs. Smethport, 6 p.m.
Williamson
Galeton vs. Bucktail, 6 p.m.

Austin vs. Williamson, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6

BOYS
TOURNAMENTS
Brookville
Consolation, 3:30 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Keystone
Consolation, 6 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Forest Area (at East Forest H.S., Marienville)
Consolation, 6 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Sheffield
Youngsville vs. Austin, 4:30 p.m.
Eisenhower vs. Sheffield, 7:30 p.m.
Olean N.Y.
Consolation
Championship
Mercer
Reynolds vs. Moniteau, 6 p.m.
North East vs. Mercer, 7:30 p.m.
Rocky Grove
Consolation, 4:30 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Meadville
Consolation, 6 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Marion Center
West Shamokin vs. Punxsutawney, 11 a.m.
Marion Center vs. Punxsutawney, 3 p.m.
Cowanesque Valley
Consolation
Championship
Portville
Consolation, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, 2 p.m.
GIRLS
Brookville
Consolation, 2 p.m.
Championship, 5:30 p.m.
Brockway
Consolation, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, 2 p.m.
Forest Area (at East Forest H.S., Marienville)
Consolation, 3 p.m.
Championship, 4:30 p.m.
Sheffield
Sheffield vs. Youngsville, 3 p.m.
Eisenhower vs. Port Allegany, 6 p.m.
Rocky Grove
Calvary Baptist vs. Maplewood, 3 p.m.
Venango Catholic vs. Rocky Grove, 6 p.m.
Franklin
Keystone vs. Erie First Christian, 3 p.m.
Kennedy Catholic vs. Franklin, 6 p.m.
Hollidaysburg
Consolation, 6:30 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.
Kittanning
Consolation, 4 p.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.
Marion Center
Consolation, 1 p.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.
Oil City
Consolation, 6:30 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.
Penns Manor
Consolation, 6:15 p.m.
Championship, 8:15 p.m.
Indiana
Consolation, 3:30 p.m.
Championship, 6 p.m.
Shenango
Moniteau vs. Union-New Castle, 4 p.m.
Wilmington vs. Shenango, 7:30 p.m.
Portville
Consolation, 11 a.m.
Championship, 2 p.m.
Cowanesque Valley
Consolation
Championship
Williamson
Consolation

Championship