The De Soto High School boys and girls varsity basketball teams are competing in the first ever Huhtamaki Hardwood Classic tournament Dec. 8-12.

The tournament has eight teams total, with four boys teams and four girls teams.

The DHS boys team will compete against Excelsior Springs, Bishop Ward, and Kansas City East, while the girls team will compete against Olathe Northwest, Southwest Early College and Kansas City East.

The tournament will be held at DHS, with both of the gyms hosting the games.

The boys team starts their season against Smithville High School in Smithville, MO. However, the girls season begins on Wed. Dec. 9 against Southwest Early College.

the boys team is well prepared, according to senior Jackson Reynolds.

“We have definitely kicked up practices, and our first real test is against Smithville, so we will be able to make up a game plan after that,” Reynolds said. “The upperclassmen are stepping up in different ways, helping all the way down to freshman.”

When asked how practices have been going, junior Cooper Hancock has said that they are going very well.

“We aren’t as conditioned as we need to be, but we will be before the tournament,” Hancock said.

The team says they are ready for the tournament and the season ahead.

For the DHS girls team, the players have the same goal as the boys team: to win the tournament, and become closer as teammates while doing so.

The program has a total of 24 members, consisting of one senior, four juniors, ten sophomores and eleven freshman.

According to junior Sydney Jones, the team plays well together, despite losing Megan Bonar, the 6’1” forward who now plays for the University of South Dakota basketball team.

“We still have a little bit to work on, but we’ve gotten all of our plays in so I think we’re ready,” Jones said.

The team chemistry has improved since past seasons, primarily due to the majority of the team consisting of underclassmen.

“We have a connection like a puzzle. All of the pieces fit together,” Jones said.

Junior Maddy Plake has the same thoughts as Jones on the tournament.

“We haven’t seen any of the teams before, so this tournament will be interesting,” Plake said.

The team has many all around players, with some returning varisty players from past seasons.

The team is looking forward to the season, with a chance of making it to State.

“We just got our Sub-State bracket for State, so we’re pretty excited,” Jones said.

The girls team competes on Wed. Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. against Southwest Early College.

The basketball teams are both excited for the tournament, and are prepared to face teams they have never seen before.