Adam MacDonald
By Adam MacDonald
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — The fifth annual Charles Cooper Memorial Tipoff Classic begins today at 9 a.m.
The Tipoff Classic, which signifies the start of the high school basketball season for area teams, features 20 different teams playing for nearly two days straight.
Games will run from 9 a.m. to at least 10 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to at least 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
All games will be held at Lowndes High School in the new gym.
Basketball season won’t really heat up until January, but there are several marquee matchups in the Tipoff Classic. The Valdosta Lady Wildcats and the Lowndes Vikettes will face off tonight at 7:30 p.m. That game will be followed by the Vikings taking on the Lanier County boy’s team.
The Valdosta boy’s team, the defending Region 1-AAAAA champion, will play Bainbridge tonight at 6 p.m.
On Tuesday, all Winnersville teams will be in action again. The Lady Wildcats play Echols at 1:30 p.m., and the Vikettes play Bainbridge at 7:30 p.m.
The Tipoff Classic’s final game features the Vikings taking on the Wildcats at 9 p.m.
The Charles Cooper Memorial Tipoff Classic recognizes Cooper, the late coach who turned Lowndes’ girls basketball program into a national powerhouse in the late 1970’s. Cooper’s coaching career spanned nearly half a century (1956-2005), and included over 1,000 victories.
Tonight, there will be a ceremony to honor Cooper, his family and his ex-players after the Valdosta boy’s game which starts at 6 p.m.
