Hot and heavy tournament action

Area boys and girls basketball teams are ending the week with several large and competitive basketball tournaments.

The RPAC begins Saturday for a number of teams along with the 39th annual Oberlin Invitational which started today.

McCook's basketball teams will travel today to Colby to compete in the annual Paul Wintz Orange and Black basketball classic.

The tournaments will run today through Saturday with the exception of the RPAC, which plays the first rounds on Saturday and plays the second round Monday and Tuesday.

Games continue next Friday and Saturday with championship and consolation games.

McCook's boys begin play in Colby today at 3 p.m., at the Colby Community Building with Wichita South.

The girls follow at 4:45 p.m., also with Wichita South in the Community Building. Second round action begins Friday at 3 p.m.

Oberlin finished the first round of the girls and boys division Tuesday and will start second round play on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Rawlins County, St. Francis, Oberlin and Hoxie are competing in the tournament.

The Rawlins County girls defeated St. Francis 61-24 to move into the second round.

The Buffalo boys moved down in the brackets after falling in a close game to Oakley 64-61. St. Francis's boys also fell short to Quinter 75-36.

A majority of area teams will begin basketball action Saturday in the new RPAC tournament.

The tournament is split into two divisions, Golden Plains and Republican Valley.

The Golden Plains division includes Hayes Center, Wauneta-Palisade, Dundy County-Stratton, Hitchcock County, Medicine Valley, Maywood and Wallace.

Republican Valley's division includes teams from Alma, Cambridge, Arapahoe, Southern Valley, Southwest and Bertrand.

Wauneta-Palisade and Dundy County-Stratton's boys start the Golden Plains division on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., in Curtis.

Hitchcock County and Medicine Valley follow at 3:30 p.m., and Maywood and Wallace square off at 6:30.

Hayes Center will jump and play the winner of the Wauneta-Palisade/Dundy County-Stratton game on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Cambridge and Arapahoe start off Saturday for the RV boys division.

The two teams begin play at 5 p.m., at Southwest with Southern Valley and Southwest following at 8 p.m. Alma and Bertrand receive a bye until Tuesday.

The girls take the GP division at 11 a.m., on Saturday in Curtis. Dundy County-Stratton plays Wallace at 11, with Hitchcock County and Medicine Valley following at 2 p.m., and Hayes Center and Maywood ending the day at 5 p.m.

Wauneta-Palisade's girls received a bye and will play on Monday at 6 p.m.

Southern Valley and Southwest start the RV girls division at 6:30 p.m., at Southwest with Alma and Bertrand following at 3:30 p.m.

Cambridge and Arapahoe received byes and will begin play on Monday.