NIT Schedule Released

By Brent Huelsmann

The Nashville Hornettes girls basketball team will tip off this season with the 2017 Nashville Girls Thanksgiving Tournament. The tournament will begin play on Monday November 20. Eight teams will face off for the title. This year Nashville will be joined by Benton, Collinsville, Mascoutah, Mt. Vernon, Okawville, Wesclin, and Pinckneyville. Nashville won last year’s tournament.

Pool A will consist of Benton, Mt. Vernon, Wesclin, and Nashville. Pool B will consist of Collinsville, Mascoutah, Okawville, and Pinckneyville. The two winners of each pool will meet in the championship game. Ties in pool play will be broken first by head to head play. If another tie breaker is needed would be defensive average. The final tie-breaker would be free-throw percentage.

On November 20, there will be action in the North Gym as well as Assembly Hall. Benton will take on Mt. Vernon at 6:30 in the North Gym, and Collinsville will match up with Okawville at 6:30 in Assembly Hall. Nashville and Wesclin will be the night cap in the North Gym at 8:00 while Mascoutah and Pinckneyville will play at 8:00 in Assembly Hall.

On November 21, Pinckneyville and Okawville will play at 6:30 in the North Gym while Mt. Vernon and Wesclin will play at 6:30 in Assembly Hall. Nashville will play Benton at 8 p.m. in Assembly Hall while Collinsville and Mascoutah match up at 8 p.m in the North Gym.

The tournament will then take a break until Saturday November 25 with a full slate of games at Assembly Hall beginning at 9 a.m. Okawville and Mascoutah will be the first game of the day, followed by Nashville and Mt. Vernon at 10:30 p.m. Pinckneyville and Okawville will get underway at noon, followed by the final pool play game, Wesclin and Benton at 1:30.

The seventh place game will take place at 3:30, followed by the fifth place game at 5:00. The third place game will start at 6:30, with the Championship game scheduled to start at 8 p.m.