Story By Heath Hambrick

On Monday afternoon, coaches from across DeKalb County gathered to finalize the brackets for the upcoming DeKalb County Basketball Tournament, which will be hosted by Collinsville High School this year.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from Monday, January 19, to Saturday, January 24. The first two days of events will be held at Collinsville High School’s Donny Jones Gymnasium, after which the semi-finals and championship games will move to the DeKalb County Schools Coliseum. Admission to this year’s tournament is $10 at the door, cash only. Please note that tickets will not be available for purchase on GoFan.

In the varsity boysdivision, the Plainview Bears defeated the Fyffe Red Devils 72-37 last season, have won the last four DCTs and eight out of the last 11 and are once again the number one seed this year. 

In the varsity girls division, the defending champion Ider Lady Hornets, who are No.1 in class 1A, upset the Plainview Lady Bears 55-45 last season to win their first title since 2016. They enter as the number two seed this year, following the 4A No. 1 team, Plainview, which secured the top seed.

Since 2010, the varsity boy’s division has had five different schools win the crown, with Plainview leading the way. The longest drought in the boy’s tournament belongs to the Ider Hornets, who have not won the county since 1975. The next longest is Valley Head, which won its only title in 1986. 

Since 2010, only three teams have won the girls’ title: Ider (3 titles), Collinsville (6 titles), and Plainview (7 titles). The longest drought in the girls’ tournament belongs to Valley Head, which hasn’t won the crown since 1993. Next is Sylvania whose last title came in 2003, followed by Geraldine, which last won the tournament in 2004. Fyffe last won the title in 2008. 

This year’s tournament favorites in each division are the Plainview Bears. The varsity girls’ bracket features two top-ranked teams, Ider and Plainview, which makes it highly competitive. It will be interesting to see if any team can manage to upset these two.

 In the varsity boys’ bracket, the Bears are the clear favorite to repeat as champions, but Geraldine and Collinsville, along with an improving Ider team, look to make some noise this year. 

Seeding for the 81st DeKalb County Basketball Tournament is as follows from each division. 

Varsity boys: No.1 Plainview, No.2 Geraldine, No.3 Collinsville, No.4 Ider, No.5  Fyffe, No.6 Crossville, No.7 Sylvania, No.8 Valley Head. 

Varsity girls: No.1 Plainview, No.2 Ider, No.3 Sylvania, No.4 Fyffe, No.5 Geraldine, No.6 Collinsville, No.7 Valley Head, No.8 Crossville. 

Junior varsity boys: No.1 Collinsville, No.2 Plainview, No.3 Ider, No.4 Crossville, No.5 Fyffe, No.6 Geraldine, No.7  Sylvania, No.8 Valley Head. 

Junior varsity girls: No.1 Collinsville, No.2 Plainview, No.3 Ider, No.4 Sylvania

Tournament Schedule

Monday, January 19 (Collinsville High School)

12 p.m. JVB. No.1 Collinsville vs No.8 Valley Head 

1 p.m. JVB. No.4 Crossville vs No. 5 Fyffe

2 p.m. JVB.  No.2 Plainview vs No.7  Sylvania

3 p.m. JVB. No. 3  Ider vs No.6  Geraldine 

4 p.m. VG.  No.2 Ider vs No.7 Valley Head 

5:30 p.m. VB. No.2 Geraldine vs No.7  Sylvania

7 p.m. VG. No.1 Plainview vs No.8  Crossville

8:30 p.m. VB. 1) Plainview vs 8) Valley Head

Tuesday, January 20 (Collinsville High School) 

4 p.m. VG. No.3 Sylvania vs No.6 Collinsville

5:30 p.m. VB. No.3 Collinsville vs No.6 Crossville

7 p.m. VG. No.4 Fyffe vs No.5 Geraldine

8:30 p.m. VB. No.4 Ider vs No.5 Fyffe

Thursday, January 22 (DCSC)

4 p.m. JVG semifinal. No.1 Collinsville vs No.4 Sylvania

5 p.m. JVG semifinal. No.2 Plainview vs No.3 Ider

6 p.m. All-County Football and Cheerleader Recognition

6:30 p.m. VG semifinal

8 p.m. VG semifinal 

Friday, January 23 (DCSC)

4 p.m. JVB semifinal 

5 p.m. JVB semifinal 

6 p.m. VB semifinal

7:30 p.m. VB semifinal

Saturday, January 24 (DCSC)

4 p.m. JVG Championship Game

5:15 p.m. JVB Championship Game 

6:30 p.m. VG Championship Game

8 p.m. VB Championship Game