By Jay Neal
sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com
Fans of Jacksonville Indian, Bullard Panther, or Brook Hill Guard basketball are in luck this week as all three teams will be participating in the annual Wagstaff Classic, beginning Monday and running through Wednesday, at Wagstaff Gymnasium on the campus of Tyler Junior College.
The Indians (11-3), who are off to one of their hottest starts in school history, will face Longview at 7 p.m. Monday in a first-round affair in the Gold Bracket (Class 5A-4A schools).
Jacksonville bombed Longview in the season opener, but Monday’s game should be the first action of the season for those Lobos who also played football, so look for Longview to be much improved in this contest.
The Jacksonville versus Longview winner/loser will face the winner/loser of the Tyler Lee versus Whitehouse matchup slated for an 8:30 p.m. tip Monday night.
The Tribe defeated Lee in the Longview tournament a couple of weeks ago while Whitehouse and the Indians are expected to be the top-two teams in District 14-4A.
Other schools entered in the Gold Bracket are Sulphur Springs, Lindale, John Tyler and Mabank.
The championship game in the Gold Bracket will take place at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Apache Bracket (Class 3A-1A, and private schools) could shape up to pit Bullard and Brook Hill squaring off against one another at some point.
Bullard (8-8) is in the top-half of the bracket and will open tourney play at 9 a.m. Monday against T. K. Gorman.
Brook Hill (13-3) is scheduled to face Chapel Hill at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the bottom of the bracket.
The Guard, winners of the Tatum tournament’s consolation bracket last weekend, are ranked No. 3 in the TAPPS small school division.
Tatum, All Saints Episcopal, Arp and Grace Community School complete the eight-team field in the bracket.
Apache Bracket finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
