The 34th annual Brown Service Center Minden Holiday Classic tips off Wednesday with 12 boys and 12 girls teams competing.
Minden is the defending boys champion. Arcadia is the two-time defending girls champion.
Games will be played Wednesday and Thursday at Minden High School, the Minden Rec Center and Webster Junior High.
The Friday and Saturday games will be at Minden High and the Minden Rec Center. The championship games are scheduled for Saturday at 6:40 (girls) and 8 p.m. (boys) at Minden High.
Minden defeated Giblsland-Coleman 67-52 in the boys championship game last year. The Class C Bulldogs are back and at 13-0 a big threat to win the title. They have already beaten Minden twice, 59-55 and 70-47.
Minden and Giblsland-Coleman are on opposite sides of the bracket.
Also in the Bulldogs’ bracket are Class 5A teams Haughton (6-5) and Parkway (3-4), Class 4A Woodlawn (6-3), Lakeside (1-7) and Camden Fairview, Ark (2-2). Parkway won the consolation title last year.
Minden opens against Homer (3-0) Wednesday at 8 with the winner moving to the semifinals.
The Tide, who lost several key players off last season’s non-select Division II semifinal team, are off to a 3-3 start.
The other teams on Minden’s side are Loyola (4-5), Arcadia (4-4), Green Oaks (4-6) and Lincoln Prep (5-1).
Arcadia defeated Mansfield 46-24 in the girls championship game last year.
The Lady Hornets went on to finish runner-up in non-select Division IV. Arcadia is 7-5 against some tough competition.
The Lady Hornets face North Caddo (2-4) in the first round. Also on Arcadia’s side of the bracket are Red River 6-5), Homer (2-5), Camden-Fairview, Ark. (5-5) and Lakeside (2-6).
Minden is off to a 7-5 start under new Head Coach Kelli Edwards, who replaced Cindee Wright-Clark. The Lady Tiders are coming off a 50-46 victory over Homer last week.
Minden is led by senior Brooklyn Jefferson but Edwards has several talented players. Freshman Parys Gillins scored 16 points against Airline last week.
Minden opens against Green Oaks (2-6) Wednesday at 6:40 with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
Loyola (2-7), North DeSoto (1-5), Gibsland-Coleman (1-10) and Woodlawn (1-9) are on Minden’s side of the bracket.