What to know about E.D. White High School Basketball Tournament before it tips off

Just before the new year, E.D. White Catholic High School is hosting one of the biggest boys basketball tournaments in the Houma- and Thibodaux-area.

A dozen of the top high school basketball programs in the Houma- and Thibodaux-area and from around the state travel to Thibodaux for the E.D. White Tournament. This tournament not only represents the final chance for a tune-up before the calendar turns to 2024, but for many teams, the tournament is one of the last chances to fix mistakes before district play.

Here's everything you need to know about the E.D. White Tournament:

When is the tournament?

Tournament games will be spread across three days. The tournament runs from Thursday to Saturday at the EDW gym. The first game tips off at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday with the final game tipping off at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

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Which teams are competing?

In total, 12 teams are competing in the tournament, five of which are from the Houma- and Thibodaux-area. South Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption and H.L. Bourgeois represent local schools alongside the host Cardinals.

Archbishop Shaw, Belle Chasse, Central Catholic, Lutcher, Berwick, Morgan City and Brusly make up the non-local teams in this tournament and fill out the rest of the field.

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Who are some of the players to watch?

For EDW, junior MJ Sternfels led the way this season, following up an all-state performance last year by taking the Cardinals to 8-2 in their first 10 games of 2023-24.

Outside of the home team, Terrebonne has arguably the strongest roster of all local teams. THS has four seniors on this year's squad — Kylan Billiot, K'Von Mahoney, Rhanige Smith, and Brayden Verdin — have led the Tigers to six wins in their last seven games, including an undefeated run in the H.L. Bourgeois Tournament earlier this month.

What's the schedule?

Here's a look at the tournament's schedule before tipoff, although this is subject to change:

Thursday: Terrebonne vs. Archbishop Shaw (4:30 p.m.), Belle Chasse vs. South Lafourche (after first game), Brusly vs. Lutcher (6 p.m.)

Friday: Archbishop Shaw vs. South Lafourche (6 p.m.), Lutcher vs. Berwick (after first game), Terrebonne vs. E.D. White (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday: Terrebonne vs. Lutcher (11 a.m.), Archbishop Shaw vs. Brusly (2:30 p.m.), South Lafourche vs. E.D. White (4 p.m.)

This article originally appeared on The Courier: What to know about E.D. White High School Basketball Tournament