Bishops face Oakton in Carolina Invitational

Today’s opening round of the Bojangles Carolina Invitational girls basketball tournament features several matchups that could be championship games in other tournaments.

Perhaps the most intriguing game pits Oakton High School against host team Bishop England at 11 a.m. Oakton went 32-0 last year and won the Virginia Class AAA state title. The Bishops went 28-0 and won the South Carolina Class AA state title.

“All I know about them is what I’ve seen on YouTube and what I’ve read on their website,” Bishop England coach Paul Runey said. “Obviously, we play to win. That’s why we turn the scoreboard lights on. But the key in this tournament is to get better. We’re going to face some pretty good teams, and we have to use this as a measuring stick.”

Bishop England is 6-1 this season while Oakton is 8-1. Last week, Oakton erased a six-point deficit with five seconds left in regulation and went on to beat Madison 61-60 as Liz Manner scored a school record 44 points.

The Carolina Invitational is the biggest girls’ Christmas tournament in the country. Games will be played today at three sites — Bishop England, Hanahan and St. John’s. The field includes six divisions of eight teams with six champions being crowned on Saturday.

The 48-team field includes schools from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Tennessee and Virginia. Teams from Australia and Nova Scotia, Canada, add an international flavor.

Sixteen teams competed in last year’s tournament. Two teams were crowned as champions — Bishop England won the Palmetto Division and Goose Creek won the Carolina Division.

Other notables playing in the tournament are Pinewood Prep, last year’s SCISA Class AAA champion, and Wade Hampton, which reached the finals of the Class AAA state championships.

Other teams with impressive resumes include Seneca, Northwestern, St. John the Baptist out of West Islip, N.Y., Stephenson from Stone Mountain, Ga., Digital Harbor out of Baltimore and Franklin Road Academy of Nashville.

Carolina Invitational

Today

at Bishop England High School

Palmetto Division

Pinewood Prep vs. Cheraw, 9:30 a.m.

Oakton vs. Bishop England, 11 a.m.

Northwestern vs. Seneca, 12:30 p.m.

Wade Hampton vs. West Charlotte, 2 p.m.

Island Division

Digital Harbor vs. Goose Creek, 3:30 p.m.

St. John the Baptist vs. Wheeler, 5 p.m.

Stephenson vs. Largo, 6:30 p.m.

Mount Tabor vs. West Ashley, 8 p.m.

at St. John’s High School

Patriot Division

Burke vs. Baptist Hill, 9:30 a.m.

Cane Bay vs. Andrews, 11 a.m.

Beaufort vs. Berkeley, 12:30 p.m.

First Baptist vs. Cross, 2 p.m.

Harbor Division

Palmetto Christian vs. James Island Christian, 3:30 p.m.

Catholic vs. Timberland, 5 p.m.

Forsyth Country Day vs. Augusta Christian, 6:30 p.m.

Stratford vs. St. John’s, 8 p.m.

at Hanahan High School

Atlantic Division

Northwood Academy vs. Summerville, 9:30 a.m.

Wakefield vs. St. James, 11 a.m.

Hanahan vs. Southern Peninsula, 12:30 p.m.

Franklin Road Academy vs. Amelia Academy, 2 p.m.

Coastal Division

North Myrtle Beach vs. Greebrier, 3:30 p.m.

Clover vs. Byrnes, 5 p.m.

Oconee County vs. Southside 6:30 p.m.

Wando vs. Halifax Grammar, 8 p.m.