The annual Rock the Ribbon basketball tournament hosted here at the high school will be held this Friday and Saturday. The tournament will consist of two days packed full of basketball with a lot of competitive games.
Friday during the school day, the boys varsity team will play Roanoke Catholic in front of the whole school. The game starts at 12:48 p.m. and students will be pulled out of class to come watch. This is a high pressure and intensity stage for the Cats to play on, and players look forward to the game.
Junior Bradi Ziegler, who plays at the guard position, is especially excited for the game.
“I think it makes us play better because it’s more hype, and fun to play in front of everybody,” Ziegler said.
Many teams come from all over the country to play here at the high school and compete against high skill opponents. These teams don’t always come here for free, in fact some private schools require payment as well as a hotel and meals for their trip.
Assistant athletic director Travis Rogers puts a lot of effort into the planning and production of the event,
“Many of these bigger teams do not play for free, many of these private schools with the top prospects are paid to play,” Rogers said.
Big schools such as Oak Hill, Moravian Prep, and Huntington Prep all come to play in the tournament. Two years ago Eli and Issac Ellis, who are famous on Tiktok for being on one of the Overtime teams, came to compete in the tournament.
Rogers enjoys watching the games each year and the competition that each team brings,
“Getting to see high level college and NBA players at Rockbridge County High School” Rogers said.
In 2019, Oak Hill player Cole Anthony came and played in the tournament and put on a show. He then went on to play college ball at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, had a strong season, and got drafted as the 15th pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
Come out this weekend to support your Cats and local basketball. The proceeds from the event go toward the American Cancer Foundation, so not only is there plenty of basketball to watch, but there is also a good cause behind it.
