Flames gearing up for prestigious Cape Breton tournament

The Hants North Flames have their eyes on the Coal Bowl Classic, set for the end of the month in Cape Breton. (Submitted photo)

KENNETCOOK: The Hants North Flames boys basketball team are heading to Cape Breton later this month.

Hants North is one of the 10 teams invited to the annual Coal Bowl Classic basketball tournament, making a return after being shelved like many things due to the pandemic and its restrictions the past year or two.

The Flames will be in the Doug MacKinnon division of the tournament, scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 in New Waterford. It will be held at Breton Education Centre.

The tournament will see three teams from outside the Atlantic region head to Cape Breton to compete in the tournament.

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The second division, known as the Mark Walzak Division, will have teams from Glace Bay High; Riverview Rural High from Coxheath; Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial; Juvenat Notre-Dame from Levis, Qc.; and St. Mark Catholic High from Manotick, Ont.

Joining Hants North in the Doug MacKinnon Division will be Breton Education Centre; SAERC from Port Hawkesbury; Polyvalente de L’Ancienne-Lorette, Qc.; and Northeast Kings Education Centre from Canning.

The Flames are scheduled to play Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. against NEKEC; Jan. 31 in the featured game against Breton Education Centre at 8 p.m.; get Feb.1 off. They will be back playing Feb. 2 against SAERC at 11 a.m.; and Feb. 3 in the 9 a.m. opener facing Polyvalente de L’Ancienne-Lorette

Semifinals will happen Feb. 3 at 7 and 9 p.m. with the consolation game at 12 p.m. and Championship at 2 p.m. on Feb. 4.

Fans back at home can follow the tournament at www.coalbowl.ca. Each game is set to be livestreamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@CapeBretonCalling .