:quality(70):focal(970x807:980x817)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/NUVQVBDD3BDQXPGRYN6XN4CE54.jpg)
A tradition 50 years old returns to the campus of Hall High School this weekend.
The 2023 Colmone Classic, the 49th annual, will tip of off with a round of games on Saturday, Dec. 2 starting at 3 p.m.
The Colmone Classic, then known as the Hall Holiday Tournament, was created in 1973 by former Hall athletic director Frank Colmone, now the namesake of the tournament. It has been held every year since except for 2020, when it was canceled by COVID-19.
Princeton is the two-time defending champion, defeating Pontiac, 62-57, in the 2022 title game, and LaSalle-Peru, 66-62, in 2021.
The Tigers will play out of the Gray Pool with Putnam County and Fieldcrest. The Knights have won a record 12 tournament championships while the Panthers have won four coming in pairs (1980-81 and 2000-01).
Host Hall will be paired with St. Bede and Rock Falls in the Red Pool. Hall last won the tournament in 2013. The Rockets have won titles in 2016 and 2018.
Bureau Valley, LaSalle-Peru and Marquette make up the Black Pool. The Storm won the Colmone crown in 2017 while L-P and Marquette seek their first championships.
The White Pool will be made of Mendota, Pontiac and Stillman Valley. The Trojans last won in 2012 while the Indians and Cardinals seek their first titles.
In Saturday’s openers, Mendota and Pontiac will play at 3 p.m. followed by L-P vs. Bureau Valley at 4:30 p.m., Princeton vs. Fieldcrest at 6 p.m. and Hall and St. Bede at 7:30 p.m.
Marquette (5 p.m. vs. Bureau Valley), Rock Falls (6:30 p.m. vs. St. Bede) and Putnam County (8 p.m. vs. Princeton) will make their debut on Monday.
Pool play continues through Wednesday with crossover games beginning on Thursday. The finals will be played Saturday, Dec. 9 starting at noon.
There will also be a sophomore tournament running Saturday, Dec. 2, Thursday, Dec. 7, Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9
The Pools
| Red Pool |
|---|
| Hall |
| Rock Falls |
| St. Bede |
| Black Pool |
|---|
| LaSalle-Peru |
| Marquette |
| Bureau Valley |
| White Pool |
|---|
| Pontiac |
| Mendota |
| Stillman Valley |
| Gray Pool |
|---|
| Princeton |
| Putnam County |
| Fieldcrest |
The Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 2
Game 1 - Pontiac vs. Mendota, 3 p.m.
Game 2 - L-P vs. Bureau Valley, 4:30 p.m.
Game 3 - Princeton vs. Fieldcrest, 6 p.m.
Game 4 - St. Bede vs. Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 4
Game 5 - Marquette vs. Bureau Valley, 5 p.m.
Game 6 - Rock Falls vs. St. Bede, 6:30 p.m.
Game 7 - Princeton vs. PC, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Game 8 - Fieldcrest vs. PC, 5 p.m.
Game 9 - Stillman Valley vs. Pontiac, 6:30 p.m.
Game 10 - Hall vs. Rock Falls, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 6
Game 11 - Mendota vs. Stillman Valley, 5:30 p.m.
Game 12 - L-P vs. Marquette, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 7
Game 13 - Black #3 vs. Gray #3, 5 p.m.
Game 14 - Red #3 vs. White #3, 6:30 p.m.
Game 15 - Red #2 vs. White #2, 8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8
Game 16 - Black #2 vs. Gray #2, 5 p.m.
Game 17 - Black #1 vs. Gray #1, 6:30 p.m.
Game 18 - Red #1 vs. White #1, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9
11th place - losers 13-14, noon
9th place - winners 13-14, 1:30 p.m.
7th place - losers 15-16, 3 p.m.
5th place - winners 15-16, 4:30 p.m.
3rd place - losers 17-18, 6 p.m.
1st place - winners 17-18, 7:30 p.m.