Butler Bearettes guard Jaelynn Penn makes the turnt toward the goal defended by Male Lady Bulldogs forward Logan Calvert.
Eleven girls basketball teams ranked in the top 25 of The Courier-Journal’s preseason poll of coaches will participate in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.
Annually one of Kentucky’s top girls basketball tournaments, the Traditional Bank event will start Monday and run through next Friday’s 6:30 p.m. championship game.
No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Butler headlines the 24-team field. Other Louisville-area representatives will be No. 4 Sacred Heart, No. 11 Manual, No. 17 Eastern, Fairdale and Christian Academy.
Other ranked teams in the field will be No. 3 Murray, No. 8 Simon Kenton, No. 9 Elizabethtown, No. 14 Bowling Green, No. 15 East Carter, No. 16 South Warren and No. 25 Lincoln County.
E’town has won the tournament three straight years, beating Anderson County in the 2013 final, Mercy in the 2014 final and Butler in last year’s final.
Here’s a look at where other Louisville-area teams are heading before Christmas (all times EST):
GIRLS
* Waggener is hosting the Evolution Autosport/KORT Sports Medicine Holiday Classic through Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game. Joining Waggener in the event are Fern Creek, Shawnee, Jeffersontown, Presentation, Doss, North Oldham and Southern.
* Moore will play in the Berea Holiday Classic, starting Friday and running through Sunday’s 2:30 p.m. championship game. No. 23 Lafayette headlines the eight-team field.
* No. 13 Mercy will travel to Phoenix, Arizona, for the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Jaguars will play in the John Anderson Division, starting Monday and running through Thursday’s 5 p.m. championship game.
* Oldham County and Pleasure Ridge Park are entered in the Bardstown Holiday Classic, a round-robin event running Monday-Wednesday.
* Collins will play in the Warren East Holiday Hoops Classic starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 6 p.m. championship game.
* No. 7 Bullitt East will host the inaugural Queen of the Commonwealth, a 16-team event starting Monday and running through Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game. Other ranked teams in the field are No. 5 Male, No. 10 Holmes and No. 21 Campbell County.
* Shelby County will travel to the Lady Marshals Holiday Classic at Marshall County starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 4 p.m. championship game.
* Bullitt Central will play in the R.E. Williams Holiday Classic at LaRue County starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game. No. 19 Breckinridge County headlines the field.
* The Portland Christian Holiday Classic is set for Monday and Tuesday, with Brown, Whitesville Trinity and Calvary Christian also in the field. The final is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
* South Oldham’s Lady Dragon Holiday Hoopfest is set for Wednesday and Thursday. Seneca and Ballard also will represent the Louisville area in the field. The final is set for 4 p.m. Thursday.
BOYS
* Evangel Christian will compete in the Pikeville Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. No. 13 Pulaski County also is in the field.
* Holy Cross, Oldham County and Eastern will represent the Louisville area Saturday in the Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County. Holy Cross will face Ashland Blazer at 2:30 p.m., Oldham County will face Madison Central at 7:30 p.m. and Eastern will meet Southwestern at 9 p.m.
* Atherton and Moore will play in the Cecilian Bank Christmas Tournament at Breckinridge County, a round-robin event running Saturday-Monday.
* Butler and Male are entered in the Bardstown Holiday Classic starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 2:15 championship game.
* Oldham County will host the Pegasus Sports Network Best in Hoops Holiday Tournament starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 8 p.m. final. Joining the host Colonels in the field will be No. 25 Bullitt East, DeSales, Central, Lafayette, Waggener, Bryan Station and Manual.
* The Portland Christian Holiday Classic is set for Monday and Tuesday (7 p.m. championship game). Brown, Beth Haven and Evangel Christian also are in the field.
* Spencer County will host the Nick Burns Classic starting Monday and running through Thursday’s 8 p.m. championship game. Carroll County, Iroquois, South Oldham, Shelby County and North Bullitt also are in the field.
* Christian Academy will play in the Berea Holiday Classic starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 4:30 p.m. final.
* Collins will play in the Warren East Holiday Hoops Classic starting Monday and running through Wednesday’s 8 p.m. championship game.
* Jeffersontown and Seneca will play in Lexington Christian’s Central Bank Classic, a round-robin event set for Tuesday-Thursday. No. 13 Pulaski County and No. 17 Lexington Christian lead the field.
* Holy Cross, Shawnee and Western will play in the Aleris Christmas Tournament at Hancock County starting Tuesday and running through Thursday’s 7:15 p.m. championship game.
* Southern is entered in the Arby’s/KFC Holiday Classic set for Tuesday-Friday at McCreary Central.
* Valley will play in the Blue Devil Invitational scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday at Henry Clay.
* North Oldham is entered in the Farmers Bank of Jessamine County Tournament set for Wednesday-Friday at East Jessamine and West Jessamine.
* Eastern is entered in the Farmers National Bank Clash of Titans at Mercer County starting Wednesday and running through Friday’s 8 p.m. final. No. 18 Mercer County leads the eight-team field.
* No. 15 Pleasure Ridge Park will play in the Smoky Mountain Classic Christmas Tournament in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, starting Wednesday and running through Friday’s 2:30 p.m. final. No. 23 South Laurel, No. 24 Perry County Central and Corbin also will represent Kentucky in the eight-team Yellow Bracket of the event.
* No. 11 Doss will play in the 72nd annual Paducah Tilghman Christmas Tournament on Thursday and Friday (7 p.m. championship game). No. 9 Hopkinsville and No. 16 University Heights also are in the field.
* St. Francis will play in the KME Christmas Classic at Trigg County, set for Thursday and Friday (5 p.m. championship game).
* Whitefield Academy will travel to the Rose Hill All Private School Invitational on Thursday and Friday.
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
All times p.m. unless otherwise noted
Pegasus Sports Network Best in Hoops Holiday Tournament
At Oldham County
* Monday – DeSales vs. Central, 2:30; Lafayette vs. Bullitt East, 4:15; Waggener vs. Bryan Station, 6:15; Manual vs. Oldham County, 8
* Tuesday – Consolation games at 2:30 and 4:15; semifinals at 6:15 and 8
* Wednesday – Seventh-place game, 2:30; fifth-place game, 4:15; third-place game, 6:15; final, 8
Portland Christian Holiday Classic
* Monday – Brown vs. Beth Haven, 4; Portland Christian vs. Evangel Christian, 7
* Tuesday – Third-place game, 2:30; final, 7
Nick Burns Classic
At Spencer County
* Monday – North Bullitt vs. Shelby County, 6; Carroll County vs. Spencer County, 7:45
* Tuesday – Shelby County vs. South Oldham, 6; Spencer County vs. Iroquois, 7:45
* Wednesday – South Oldham vs. North Bullitt, 6; Iroquois vs. Carroll County, 7:45
* Thursday – Fifth-place game, 4:30; third-place game, 6:15; final, 8
GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
All times p.m. unless otherwise noted
Evolution Autosport/KORT Sports Medicine Holiday Classic
At Waggener
* Thursday – Fern Creek vs. Shawnee, 6
* Friday – Jeffersontown vs. Presentation, 5:30; Doss vs. North Oldham, 7; Waggener vs. Southern, 8:30
* Saturday – consolation games at 9 and 10:30 a.m.; semifinals at noon and 1:30; seventh-place game, 3; fifth-place game, 4:30; third-place game, 6; final, 7:30
Queen of the Commonwealth
At Bullitt East (two gyms)
* Monday – Holmes vs. North Bullitt, 2:30; Johnson Central vs. Grayson County, 2:30; Male vs. White House (Tenn.), 4:15; Campbell County vs. Waggener, 4:15; Assumption vs. Spencer County, 6; Webster County vs. Holy Cross, 6; Chicago Marist vs. Central, 7:45; Bullitt East vs. Atherton, 7:45
* Tuesday – Games in both gyms at 2:30, 4:15, 6 and 7:45
* Wednesday – Games in both gyms at 2:30, 4:15, 6 and 7:45; semifinals at 6 and 7:45
* Thursday – 15th-place game, 1; seventh-place game, 1; 13th-place game, 2:45; fifth-place game, 2:45; 11th-place game, 4:30; ninth-place game, 4:30; third-place game, 6; final, 7:30
Portland Christian Holiday Classic
* Monday – Calvary Christian vs. Portland Christian, 5:30
* Tuesday – Brown vs. Whitesville Trinity, 1; third-place game, 4; final, 5:30
Traditional Bank Holiday Classic
At Lexington Catholic (two gyms)
* Monday – Boone County vs. Boyle County, 6:30; Christian Academy vs. Scott, 6:30; Paul Dunbar vs. Fairdale, 8; Danville vs. Ryle, 8
* Tuesday – Russell vs. Lincoln County, 6:30; Lexington Catholic vs. Monroe County, 6:30; Russell County vs. Manual, 8; South Warren vs. Somerset, 8
* Wednesday – Boone County-Boyle County winner vs. Butler, 4:30; Paul Dunbar-Fairdale winner vs. Simon Kenton, 4:30; Danville-Ryle winner vs. Eastern, 6; Christian Academy-Scott winner vs. Murray, 6; Russell County-Manual winner vs. East Carter, 7:30; Russell-Lincoln County winner vs. Bowling Green, 7:30; Lexington Catholic-Monroe County winner vs. Elizabethtown, 9; South Warren-Somerset winner vs. Sacred Heart, 9
* Thursday – Quarterfinals at 3, 4:30, 6:15 and 7:45
* Friday – Semifinals at 10 and 11:30 a.m.; final at 6:30
Lady Dragon Holiday Hoopfest
At South Oldham
* Wednesday – Ballard vs. Carroll County, 11 a.m.; South Oldham vs. Seneca, 12:30; Williamstown vs. Ballard, 2; Gallatin County vs. Seneca, 3:30; Carroll County vs. Williamstown, 5; South Oldham vs. Gallatin County, 6:30
* Thursday – Fifth-place game, 1; third-place game, 2:30; final, 4