The EAC Holiday Basketball Tournament returns Dec. 18-20, bringing three days of high school basketball to Graham County.
The event marks the 63rd annual boys tournament and the 49th annual girls tournament. Sixty games will be played at Pima, Thatcher, Safford and Eastern Arizona College before the tournament concludes Saturday with the championship games at Eastern Arizona College.
Pool play begins Thursday at the four venues. Teams are split into four pools on both the boys and girls sides, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the championship bracket. Third place teams will move into consolation play, with the tournament producing a top eight finish for both fields.
Bracket play begins Friday and sets the stage for a full day of finals Saturday at Eastern Arizona College, including seventh place, fifth place, third place and championship games.
Last year’s tournament delivered its usual mix of decisive wins and tight finishes. Pima won the boys championship by defeating Morenci, while Snowflake claimed the girls title with a defensive win over Pima in the championship game.
From early afternoon tipoffs to late-night finishes, the tournament once again turns the community into a central stop for holiday basketball before wrapping up Saturday night at EAC. Action begins Thursday at noon.
A complete tournament schedule and live updates will be available online through this Google Sheet that will be updated throughout the event.
Boys teams
Pool A
- Pima
- Sahuarita
- Hayden
Pool B
- Thatcher
- St. Johns
- Empire
Pool C
- Safford
- Desert Christian
- Fort Thomas
Pool D
- Sabino
- Morenci
- Show Low
Girls teams
Pool A
- Pima
- St. David
- Hayden
Pool B
- Thatcher
- Miami
- Duncan
Pool C
- Safford
- Fort Thomas
- Sahuarita
Pool D
- Morenci
- Snowflake
- Dysart
