Kent Porter / The Press Democrat
Cardinal Newman’s Valor Queen steals the basketball past Lucy Parchman of Montgomery during last season’s NBL-Oak League championship game in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter – The Press Democrat)
The first weekend of December brings with it the first packed slate of basketball tournament action.
Five local schools are set to host a full weekend of action starting Thursday. Montgomery’s Russ Peterich Viking Tip-Off Classic headlines the boys tournaments this week, while the Cardinal Newman Classic once again welcomes a talented field of girls teams.
Here’s a closer look at this week’s tournaments.
Peterich Viking Tip-Off Classic
The 26th annual Peterich welcomes another competitive field that’s full of talented teams from around the Bay Area.
While Campolindo is the returning champion and has won five Peterich titles, the tournament appears to be pretty wide open this year.
Campolindo, which was the No. 3 seed for the North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs last year, lost to Archie Williams 60-55 in overtime to open the season before beating Justin-Siena 54-43. Montgomery has a 52-51 win over Archie Williams in overtime and has already beaten Tamalpais (53-51) this year.
Terra Linda has also already played a team in this field in San Domenico, a 46-41 loss. San Domenico was the NCS Division 3 runner-up last year and could be one of the sleepers in this tournament.
The Panthers’ first-round matchup with St. Bernard’s could be one of the best games of the tournament. St. Bernard’s won the NCS Division 6 and NorCal Division 6 title last year and could be one of the top Division 5 programs in the section this season, along with San Domenico.
Thursday schedule
James Logan vs. Terra Linda, 4 p.m.
Campolindo vs. Tamalpais, 5:30 p.m.
St. Bernard’s vs. San Domenico, 7 p.m.
Montgomery vs. Woodside, 8:30 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Cardinal Newman Classic
The Cardinals’ annual weekend showcase once again features a talent collection of out-of-area teams. The Cardinals, coming off a CIF state Division 1 regional semifinal appearance last year, began the year as the preseason No. 20 in the state in CalHi Sports’ rankings.
California appears to the be other top team in this field. The Grizzlies were NCS Division 1 runners-up last year and made the state Division 2 regional semifinals.
Edison and Whitney are two strong programs out of the Sac-Joaquin Section and Buchanan is a traditional large-school power out of the Central Section in Clovis.
This will be a round-robin style tournament.
Thursday schedule
Whitney vs. Edison-Stockton, 4:30 p.m.
Cardinal Newman vs. Oakland, 6 p.m.
Buchanan vs. Damonte Ranch-Nevada, 7:30 p.m.
Friday schedule
Oakland vs. Edison-Stockton, 3:30 p.m.
Whitney vs. Damonte Ranch-Nevada, 5 p.m.
Cardinal Newman vs. Buchanan, 6:30 p.m.
California vs. Pinole Valley, 8 p.m.
Saturday schedule
Damonte Ranch-Nevada vs. Oakland, 11 a.m.
Buchanan vs. California, 12:30 p.m.
Cardinal Newman vs. Whitney, 2 p.m.
Pinole Valley vs. Edison-Stockton, 3:30 p.m.
Sutter Home Invitational
St. Helena will be looking to defend the title in the Saints’ home tournament.
St. Helena finished second last year in the North Central League I title race to Middletown, which is also in this field. Sonoma Valley lost in the consolation title game of this tournament last year but went on to make the second round of the CIF state Division 5 playoffs. Sonoma Academy could be another team to watch in this field, coming off an 18-8 overall season and a trip to the second round of the NCS Division 5 playoffs.
Thursday schedule
Middletown vs. Calistoga, 4 p.m.
Sonoma Valley vs. Credo, 5:30 p.m.
Sonoma Academy vs. John Swett, 7 p.m.
Roseland University Prep vs. St. Helena, 8:30 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sandy Mac Memorial
Cloverdale reprises its role as host of its annual small-school tournament. The field this year features several small-school teams coming off successful playoff runs last year.
The Eagles are the NCS Division 5 runners-up but graduated most of their starters.
Ferndale is the reigning NCS Division 6 champion and returns most of its roster from a season ago, making the Wildcats look like one of the favorites to win this event. Round Valley is also coming off an appearance in the state NorCal Division 6 playoffs. Windsor is the largest school in this tournament and should also be considered amongst the favorites.
Thursday schedule
Calistoga vs. Cloverdale, 3:30 p.m.
Round Valley vs. Ferndale, 5 p.m.
Point Arena vs. Windsor, 6:30 p.m.
Hoopa Valley vs. Lower Lake, 8 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Lady Mustangs Classic
St. Vincent’s annual small-school tournament also features a number of teams coming off successful playoff runs last season.
The Mustangs made the CIF state NorCal Division 6 playoffs and won 17 games last season, their highest total since the 2018-19 season.
Sonoma Academy made the semifinals of the NCS Division 4 playoffs while Branson, probably the tournament favorite, made the second round of the NCS Division 3 playoffs. John Swett and Novato were also playoff teams last year.
Thursday schedule
Sonoma Academy vs. Novato, 3:30 p.m.
John Swett vs. Branson, 5 p.m.
Averroes vs. Credo, 6:30 p.m.
Clear Lake vs. St. Vincent, 8 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.