By DENNIS CHASE
dchase@record-eagle.com
March 15, 2008 04:00 am TRAVERSE CITY -- Charlevoix and Kingsley will not have to wait so long next season. The two teams, who met in the Class C girls basketball regional finals two weeks ago, will square off on the opening weekend of the 2008-09 season. The match-up will be part of the Lake Michigan Conference/Northwest Conference Challenge -- eight-game showdowns between the two leagues that will tip-off the girls and boys basketball seasons. The girls games are set for Dec. 6, the boys games for Dec. 13. Officials are hoping the games will boost excitement to start the seasons since bragging rights will be on the line for the two leagues. "It creates a new and unique atmosphere in high school basketball," St. Francis athletic director Tom Hardy said. Patterned after the NCAA's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, pairings are based on how the teams finished in their leagues this past season. Since Charlevoix and Kingsley won the Lake Michigan and Northwest girls titles, respectively, they'll meet in the marquee game. Frankfort, which tied Benzie Central for second in the Northwest, will face East Jordan, which was second in the Lake Michigan. Benzie will take on Boyne City, the third-place finisher in the Lake Michigan. Other match-ups include: Glen Lake vs. Kalkaska, Suttons Bay vs. Harbor Springs, Buckley vs. Elk Rapids, Leland vs. St. Francis and Mesick vs. Grayling. The girls games will be hosted by the Northwest Conference schools. Meanwhile, Charlevoix, which won the Lake Michigan boys championship and advanced to the Class C regional, will take on Northwest co-champion Benzie Central. The Frankfort Panthers, who also earned a share of the crown, will draw St. Francis, the runner-up in the Lake Michigan. Other match-ups include: Leland vs. East Jordan, Kingsley vs. Boyne City, Suttons Bay vs. Grayling, Glen Lake vs. Elk Rapids, Mesick vs. Kalkaska and Buckley vs. Harbor Springs. The boys games will be hosted by the Lake Michigan Conference schools. "It's a neat deal," Glen Lake athletic director Paul Christiansen said. "It's going to set-up some match-ups we might not otherwise see. "I'd like to see us build on this interaction (between leagues) in other sports." The leagues have a two-year contract in place for the Challenge. In addition, the St. Francis and Cadillac boys teams will compete in the Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational at Michigan State's Breslin Center during the December holidays. St. Francis, which went 19-4 and returns All-State forward Holden Greiner, will face Flint Beecher, a Class C finalist. Cadillac, featuring 6-7 forward Ben Simons, will meet Lansing Eastern. The date has not been finalized since organizers are waiting for Michigan State's schedule to be released. Hardy said it could possibly be Dec. 29. St. Francis hosts holiday tournaments during the break and those dates are "in flux" right now, Hardy said, until the date with Beecher is set. He said the boys tournament could be moved to Jan. 2-3.
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