Holiday boys basketball tournaments on deck in Brookfield

Both Brookfield Central and Brookfield East boys basketball programs host holiday tournaments Thursday and Friday, so fans will get the opportunity to watch two games for the price of one.

The Lancers' tournament is the Luke Homan Memorial Holiday Tournament, in honor of the popular former Lancers sharp-shooting guard who died a tragic death a few years ago.

The first game is set for 6 p.m. with the Hartford Orioles playing Milwaukee Bay View following by the Lancers playing the Nicolet Knights at 7:30 p.m. Here is a quick look at each visiting team.

LUKE HOMAN MEMORIAL HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

Hartford

The Orioles are struggling with a 1-6 overall record, 0-4 in the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference, tied for last place. They beat Greendale, 49-47, but have dropped their last six games.

Hartford is led by 6-foot-6 inch senior forward Ryan Boinski, who is their leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game. No one else is in double figures as next in line are Nick Holzman (7.4 points), a 6-1 senior forward, Tony Dallman (5.7), a 6-2 senior guard, and Armilles Terry (4.7), a 5-9 junior guard.

Bay View

Milwaukee Bay View has only played three games (1-2), none in City Conference play. They lost to Waukesha West (58-32), beat Muskego (55-53) and lost to DePere (78-32).

The Redcats are led by 6-2 point guard Carlin Dupree (13.0 ppg.), 6-3 senior forward Jamal Kern (11.0), 6-4 junior forward Forrest Hardwick (9.0) and 6-2 freshman forward Brandon Eckford (8.0).

Nicolet

The Knights are in last place in the North Shore Conference (0-4) and 2-6 overall. Their victories came over West Bend West (57-53) and Wauwatosa West (73-52) in their first two games, but they have lost six in a row.

The Knights do have good balance led by 6-3 junior forward Eugene Bonner (13.8), 6-4 junior forward Tyler Miller (11.2), 5-9 sophomore guard Gregg Pigg (9.1), 6-0 senior guard Corey Smith (8.6) and 5-8 junior guard Treland Jenkins (8.4).

SUMMARY

I see Bay View beating Hartford and the Lancers beating Nicolet in the first round. I like the Knights over the Orioles in the third-place game and the Lancers over Bay View in the title game.

LAVERN LUEBSTORF HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

The Lavern Luebstorf Holiday Tournament at Brookfield East is named after the legendary Spartans basketball coach.

Milwaukee Riverside will open the tournament with a 6 p.m. tournament against East Troy, followed by a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Racine Horlick vs. the host Spartans.

Here is a look at the visiting squads and their rosters.

Riverside

The Tigers are unbeaten with wins over Kettle Moraine (66-49), Kenosha Bradford (74-58), Wisconsin Lutheran (71-63) and Waukesha West (48-36).

Riverside is loaded with talent, led by the trio of 5-10 senior guards Shomari (17 ppg) and Bakari Triggs (15 ppg) and 6-5 forward Jalen Currie (11.0), one of the top players in either tournament.

East Troy

The Trojans are 6-1 overall and are co-leaders with Jefferson in the Rock Valley Conference North Division with a 5-0 record. A 68-58 loss to Arrowhead at the Carroll University Classic is their only blemish. They are working on a three-game winning streak coming into the tourney.

East Troy is not only high-scoring, but big, led by 6-3 junior wing Nate Dodge, who is pouring in points at a 20.6 average. D.J. Sweet, a 6-2 senior guard, is averaging 7.8 ppg, but he plays a key role getting the ball to the big guys.

They include Tanner Plomb, a 6-8 senior forward, is averaging 17.1 ppg; Brett Prahl, a 6-9 junior forward, who is scoring at a 11.7 clip, and 6-9 junior forward Alex Prahl, who is averaging 8.3 ppg.

Racine Horlick

The Rebels are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Southeast Conference, tied for second behind three 3-0 teams in Racine Park, Racine Case and Franklin. They are coming off a 68-56 non-conference win over Nicolet and losing two straight in conference to Park (63-54) and Franklin (58-57).

Romero Bouie (16.6), a 6-4 freshman wing, averages 16.6 ppg and 5-10 junior wing Gabe McKinstry is second (11.3)

Antwan Jackson, a 6-3 senior forward (10.0), Jaquan Shaw, a 5-8 junior guard (7.0), Xavier Longmire, a 5-6 sophomore guard (6.6), Mitch Grenier, a 6-3 senior forward (6.5) and Deantrae Woods, a 6-0 senior wing (6.3), give the Rebels excellent balance.

SUMMARY

The Riverside-East Troy game might be the best of the two tournaments, with Riverside getting the win. I'm picking Horlick to beat the Spartans.

On the second night, I see East Troy over Brookfield East and Riverside beating Horlick.

East coach Andy Farley probably won't talk to me now.

HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS

LUKE HOMAN MEMORIAL

at Brookfield Central

Dec. 29

6 p.m. - Hartford vs. Bay View

7:30 p.m. - Brookfield Central vs. Nicolet

Dec. 30

6 p.m. - Consolation Game

7:30 p.m. - Championship Game

LAVERN LUEBSTORF TOURNEY

at Brookfield East

Dec. 29

5:45 p.m. - Riverside vs. East Troy

7:30 p.m. - Brookfield East vs. Racine Horlick

Dec. 30

4 p.m. - Consolation Game

5:45 p.m. - Championship Game