With holidays approaching it only means one thing for high school basketball fans and that’s tournaments. Several holiday tournaments will transpire throughout the month of December and the Cedartown Bulldog basketball teams will be involved in two tournaments.

The boy’s and girl’s teams will compete in the annual Rome News-Tribune Holiday Tournament from December 19-23. The boy’s team opens the tournament on Dec. 19 at Shorter College against Armuchee. A win in that game would push them into the winner’s bracket against state-ranked Coosa at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 20. The girl’s team opens the tournament by playing Gordon Central at 4 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Shorter College.

There are a total of 24 teams from 12 schools competing in the Rome News-Tribune Holiday tournament this year, with each school allowing both their girl’s and boy’s teams to compete.

Those schools are: Adairsville, Armuchee, Calhoun, Cedartown, Chattooga, Coosa, Darlington, Gordon Central, Model, Pepperell, Rockmart, and Rome.

“Whenever I start sensing that ‘holiday feeling’ in the air, it always brings two things to mind – Christmas and the Rome News-Tribune Tournament,” said David Mathis, site director at Floyd College.

After the annual Rome News-Tribune tournament the Cedartown teams will compete in the Haralson County Invitational Tournament from Dec. 26-30 at Haralson County High School.

The Lady Bulldogs will open the tournament on Dec. 27 at 4 p.m. when they play Spring Garden, Ala.

If the Lady Bulldogs, who are one of eight girl teams competing in the tournament, defeat Spring Garden then they would face either Villa Rica or Bowdon on Monday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m.

On the boy’s side of the bracket the Bulldogs will be matched against Bremen on Friday, Dec. 26 at 8:30 p.m. If the Bulldogs win that game they will play on Monday, Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. against either Bowdon or Villa Rica.

Eight schools will be competing in the Haralson County Invitational tournement with all schools allowing their boy’s and girl’s teams to compete.

Those teams are: Bremen, Bowdon, Cedartown, Haralson County, Heard County, Luella, Spring Garden (Ala.), and Villa Rica.

Last year the holiday tournaments gave the Cedartown basketball programs confidence.

The Lady ’Dogs upset No. 3-ranked Trion in the opening round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Tournament, 63-57.

The Bulldogs defeated Trion 67-62 in the first round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Tournament, the win was the first one of the year for the ’Dogs.

Cedartown also made some noise in the Haralson County Invitational Tournament, with the boy’s team demolishing Bremen in the opening round and the girl’s team winning a few games before finishing out the tournament.

However, as much fun as the holiday tournaments are, there is business to be done first by the Cedartown basketball teams.

Both the boy’s and girl’s teams have three more games before the tournaments begin.

Cedartown plays at Villa Rica this Friday with girl’s starting at 7 p.m. Cedartown resumes play Saturday night versus Armuchee in a non-region game and then will host Pepperell on Dec. 16 in a Region 6-AAA contest.

After the holiday tournaments Cedartown returns to action on Jan. 2 in LaGrange.

Note: Last Friday night’s basketball game between Armuchee and Cedartown will be in Thursday’s edition of The Cedartown Standard.