By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
While winter break means rest and relaxation for most students, Niles athletes have a busy holiday schedule. The basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams are all participating in holiday tournaments next week.
First up, the basketball team's host a two-day tournament, the Niles Holiday Classic, Dec. 28-29. The tourney will consist of a four-team field - Brandywine, Coloma, Lake Michigan Catholic and the host Vikings.
The four-team tournament is for the schools' junior varsity and freshmen teams as well. Six games will be played each day at the high school.
JV and freshmen games will be played at noon and 2 p.m. in the main gym and the auxiliary gym. Varsity games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the main gym both days.
This is the first year for the tournament. For the past few years, Niles traveled to Battle Creek for a two-day event, but athletics director John Danaher said it got to expensive. So, the Vikings put together their own tourney.
The Vikings enter the tournament at 3-1. They will be searching for their fourth victory of the season, which would tie their total from last season.
On Wednesday, Dec. 29, Niles' volleyball team will be in Dowagiac for the Chieftain Invitational.
Participating along with the Vikings will be host Dowagiac, Benton Harbor, Bridgman, Cassopolis, Coloma, Plainwell and Sturgis.
Pool play is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
All pool play matches will be two games with rally scoring to 25 points.
The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinals, which will be a best-of-three format with rally scoring to 25 points.
Pool A will consist of Bridgman, Benton Harbor, Dowagiac and Niles.
Pool B will consist of Cass, Coloma, Plainwell and South Haven.
Coloma is the two-time defending champion of the tournament.
Last year the Comets defeated South Haven in the finals, 15-5 and 15-10.
South Haven is not returning to the tournament this year. The Lady Rams are being replaced by Sturgis.
Coloma reached the finals by defeating Niles in the semifinals. South Haven reached the championship match with a victory over Plainwell.
Dowagiac did not advance out of pool play after going 3-3. The Chieftains split with Coloma and lost twice to South Haven. The Chieftains swept Benton Harbor.
Perhaps the biggest event of the break for Niles is Thursday, Dec. 30, when the wrestling team goes to Battle Creek for the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Dual meets. The event serves as the Big 16's team tournament, and a conference champion will be crowned at the end of the day.
The duals are split into four pools of four teams. Each team wrestles the other three in its pool. The top seeds from each pool then play in a bracket-style tournament for the championship.
Niles is in pool C with Lakeview, Benton Harbor and Kalamazoo Central. Matches times are at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The event is hosted by the Kellogg Arena, which will have eight mats laid out and eight matches going at a time.
As for Brandywine, the boys basketball team is the only one of the three in action over the holiday break. The Bobcats will be at the Niles Holiday Classic.
Brandywine's volleyball team resumes play Jan. 5 when they head to River Valley. The Bobcats wrestling team also picks up action that day when they too face River Valley, only at home.
Buchanan's teams all have winter break off. The wrestling team goes to Cass Jan. 5, and the volleyball team plays the Rangers at home the same day.