The Vandals are ready for a challenging, yet seemingly wide open 49th annual Vandalia Holiday Tournament.
The Vandals come into the tournament at 4-3 overall and having won 3 games in a row. But, they are the #7 seed. The Vandals will open play in the VHT on Monday at 8 pm when they will take on the top seed in the tournament, Meridian. The Hawks are 5-2 on the season, getting off to a strong start going 4-0 and winning their Thanksgiving Tournament. The two teams met in the VHT in 2018 and 2019 with the Vandals getting wins both times. The two teams also played in the abbreviated season last school year when Meridian won at home over the Vandals, 72 to 65. That is a game in which the Vandals led by 12 at halftime and led going into the final 2 minutes of the game.
After that match up, the Vandals will have their “double day” on Tuesday when they play Cumberland at 9:30 am and then Okaw Valley at 6:30 pm. The Vandals faced both teams in the Cumberland Thanksgiving Tournament and lost close games to both—falling 64-63 in OT to Cumberland in the first game of the season for both teams and losing Okaw Valley, 64 to 61, in the 3rd game of the year. That loss saw the Vandals get out to a 12-0 start to begin the game, then fall behind 15 to 12 and fall behind at halftime before rallying to tie the game in the 4th quarter. The Vandals will finish up pool play on Wednesday at 12:30 pm when they will face the T-Town JV.
The Vandals are trying to capture their first VHT Title in 40 years.
Seeds for the 49th annual Vandalia Holiday Tournament:
1-Meridian, 2-Pana, 3-Flora, 4-Okaw Valley, 5-Cumberland, 6-Nokomis, 7-Vandals, 8-Father McGivney, 9-Shelbyville, 10-T-Town JV
Games start at 9:30 am on Monday with pool play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The place games are set for Thursday.
