The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Dec. 7, 2011

The holidays are a great time of the year.

Spending time with your family and most importantly for some, kicking back and watching basketball on the television.

Or in my case, a gymnasium nearby.

DURING THE past two years, I've seen a little bit of everything at the Coeur d'Alene Inn-vitational (formerly known as the Holiday Inn Express Invitational), from triple-OT games to last-second thrillers to a few blowouts.

This year's tournament will be held Dec. 27-29 at Rolly Williams Court.

Keep in mind, in a tournament such as this one, those blowouts are few and far between.

In last year's event, the Coeur d'Alene Vikings beat Federal Way on a blocked shot by Carli Rosenthal, winning the first girls title in the tournament's short (three-year) history.

Local girls will include Coeur d'Alene, Lake City and Post Falls, and will compete against schools from the Tri-Cities and western Washington.

This year, the boys will also crown a champion, with the field including Coeur d'Alene, Lake City and Post Falls, as well as a group from the same areas as the girls.

While some teams opt to take the holidays off, instead resting for the second half, the teams in this tournament are usually prepared for a long postseason run.

Coeur d'Alene got a deep run out of its girls basketball team after winning there last year. Lewiston, which went on to defeat Coeur d'Alene in the state 5A championship game, finished fourth at last year's tournament.

Both Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls' boys teams also fared well, with the Trojans going unbeaten and the Vikings going 2-1.

Post Falls has yet to lose in the tournament, winning all nine of its games.

WITH A champion being crowned in both the boys and girls divisions this year, the games should be nothing short of competitive.

Two years ago, with no title on the line, I looked on as the Coeur d’Alene Vikings and Lincoln High of Tacoma battled in a double-overtime thriller. Coeur d’Alene eventually won 91-90, easily the best high school boys basketball game I’ve seen in a long time.

And I’ve seen a lot of them in the past few years, from a player scoring 44 points in a loss at the 2A level to a player outscoring another team by himself.

But I don’t expect to see either during this tournament.

All of the teams involved in this basketball showcase are here for a reason, to prove they’re the best in the northwest.

If nothing else, they should be better than a BCS bowl game — at least this year.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].