Along with the holidays comes tournament season for the Arabian and Warhorse basketball teams. The teams are only allowed to have three tournaments per season.

“I really enjoy having a Devine tournament for both teams,” Athletic Director Chad Quisenberry said. “The community gets to watch both teams play, which makes the tournament feel like it’s going by faster. They get to show that their hard work pays off in front of our home crowd.

The tournaments consist of three days for both the girls and the boys. The girls play in Cole and Marion tournaments this year, while the boys play in Rockport Fulton and Marion tournaments.

“Basketball season is my favorite time of year,” senior Leonard Pompa said. “These are the last tournaments that I will ever get to play in, so I’m excited to see what this season holds.”

Starting two years ago, the teams have shared a Christmas home tournament. The gym is decorated with Christmas decorations, and the teams provide food for the hospitality room.

“The Christmas tournament is my favorite one to play in since it’s a home tournament,” junior Megan Runyan said. “We got a lot of support when we played those games because of the big crowd that came out.”

Playing in tournaments means playing more games than the body is used to and in order to not be sore the players have to take ice baths and stretch a lot more.

“We play a lot of games within a small amount of time and our bodies get tired because of it,” senior Dalton Kramer said. “We take a lot of ice baths so we don’t get sore from all the physical activity.”