If you like college basketball, the CenturyLink Center is the place to be Saturday.
The inaugural Shreveport-Bossier Holiday Classic will feature three men’s games.
Centenary College and Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.) get things started with a 2 p.m. contest.
Northwestern State faces Louisiana-Monroe at 4:30 p.m, and Louisiana Tech takes on Grambling State at 7.
Tickets are $50 for courtside seats, $25 for the reserved section and $15 for general admission. Each ticket admits a fan for all three games.
Former Airline star and BPCC coach Mike McConathy is in his 17th season as head coach at Northwestern State.
The Demons are 4-4 this season. Saturday’s game will be their first after a two-week layoff.
The Demons won their last two games, defeating LSUS 88-74 in Natchitoches and UTEP 79-67 in El Paso, Texas.
NSU also played well in a 64-59 road loss to SEC foe Mississippi State on Nov. 28.
Former Bossier High star Devonte’ Hall, a sophomore, starts at point guard. He leads the Demons in assists at 5.3 per game and is averaging 6.6 points.
Senior Zeke Woodley leads NSU in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
ULM improved to 4-5 with Monday’s 72-41 victory over Blue Mountain. Three Warhawks are averaging in double figures — Travis Munnings (13.2), Sam McDaniel (11.6) and Nick Coppola (11.4), Sam McDaniel (11.6).
Louisiana Tech improved to 6-4 with a 65-52 victory over Prairie View A&M on Monday.
Erik McCree, a 6-foot-8 forward from Orlando, Fla., is averaging 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. Jacobi Boykins is averaging 15.1 points. Two other Bulldogs are also scoring in double figures — Jalen Harris (11.0) and Omar Sherman (10.1).
Eric Konkol is in his second season as head coach. He led Tech to a 23-10 record his first year.
Grambling State will bring a 5-6 record into the game. The Tigers have won two in a row.
Ervin Mitchell, a 6-4 guard from New York, had 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over Tougaloo College on Dec. 5.
James Sapp, a 6-4 senior from Shongaloo, leads Centenary (3-5) in scoring at 20.3 points per game. Travion Kirkendoll, a 6-3 former Lakeview standout, is next at 17.3.
Centenary has already defeated Millsaps (2-5) this season. The Gents won 76-60 on Nov. 20 in the SCC/SCAC Challenge in Jackson.
Brennan Gagen averages 17.6 points per game to lead the Majors.
— Russell Hedges, rhedges@bossierpress.com
