In 1974, Winston-Salem played host to the inaugural Frank Spencer Holiday Classic. Reynolds won that first tournament and would tack on three more Frank Spencer championships before hitting a dry spell that has lasted since Reynolds last took home the trophy in 2000.
Coach Billy Martin believes that this year’s team has the potential to end the hiatus.
“I feel like we have a chance to compete and win,” Martin said. “I have high expectations.”
After a third-place finish last year, Reynolds is ready to reach for the top in the annual holiday tournament, which will be held Dec. 26-28. (See below for a complete schedule.) The Demons, who are No. 1 in the Pepsi bracket, face the obstacle of having a team that is lacking in experience.
“We are young. We only have four seniors,” Martin said.
Despite this youth, the team has managed to mesh together well: “We’re playing really hard and we are playing together. We have really good chemistry right now,” Martin added.
Junior Sam Bryant, who is in his first season on the varsity team, shares the same expectation of victory as his coach.
“I feel like we’ll place well in the tournament, if not win it,” Bryant said.
Teammate Michael Hinton, also a junior, added: “This is our year. We’re going to do well in this tournament. People doubt us, but we are going to do well.”
While the title has eluded the men’s team, the women’s team has managed to find success in its holiday tournament, capturing two titles in the last four years in the Mary Garber Holiday Tip-Off Classic, the female alternative to the Frank Spencer.
In fact, this year’s Demons were awarded the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The girls opened the tournament last week with an easy win and beat Reagan 55-40 in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The Demons play Winston-Salem Prep in the semifinals tonight at 8 at Atkins. The championship game is Saturday at 7:30, also at Atkins.
Candice Hodge, a junior and three-year veteran of the women’s varsity team, has enjoyed the tournament in the past.
“I enjoy seeing what the other teams bring to the table and getting to show other teams what we’re about,” Hodge said.
Hannah Semke, also a junior and three-year varsity player, finds that it is a good opportunity to see how Reynolds stacks up against the competition.
“It’s a great tournament because it brings all of the best teams from our area into one tournament, so you really get to see how your team compares to the others,” Semke said.
The women expect to live up to their No. 1 seeding and have a unique motivation this season.
“This tournament is special because we are dedicating it to our senior point guard and captain, Hunter Fleming,” Semke said.
Fleming will be missing the remainder of her senior season after tearing her ACL in an early-season game.
“We all want to make Hunter proud and win this tournament for her,” Semke added.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking forward to success this season and are ready to make a statement in their tournaments. Taris Young, a junior on the men’s varsity, has this warning for the competition:
“Watch out. We’re coming.”
“Pepsi Bracket”
Thursday, Dec. 26
- No. 1 Reynolds vs. No. 8 Atkins, 2 p.m. (at East Forsyth)
- No. 2 Lexington vs. No. 7 Walkertown, 3:45 p.m. (at East)
- No. 3 West Stokes vs. No. 6 Carver, 5:30 p.m. (at East)
- No. 4 Parkland vs. No. 5 McMichael, 7:15 p.m. (at East)
Friday, Dec. 27
- West-Carver loser vs. Lexington-Walkertown loser, 11 a.m. (East)
- Reynolds-Atkins loser vs. Parkland-McMichael loser, 12:45 p.m. (East)
- Reynolds-Atkins winner vs. Parkland-McMichael winner, 4 p.m. (Joel Coliseum)
- West-Carver winner vs. Lexington-Walkertown winner, 5:30 p.m. (Joel Coliseum)
Saturday, Dec. 28
Seventh-Place Game, 1 p.m. (East)
Fifth-Place Game, 2:45 p.m. (East)
Third-Place Game, 4:30 p.m. (East)
“Champion Bracket”
Thursday, Dec. 26
- No. 1 Winston-Salem Prep vs. No. 8 Glenn, 2 p.m. (at Mount Tabor)
- No. 2 Mount Tabor vs. No. 7 North Forsyth, 3:45 p.m. (at Mount Tabor)
- No. 3 West Forsyth vs. No. 6 Forsyth Country Day, 5:30 p.m. (at Mount Tabor)
- No. 4 East Forsyth vs. No. 5 Reagan, 7:15 p.m. (at Mount Tabor)
Friday, Dec. 27
- West-FCD loser vs. Tabor-North loser, 11 a.m. (Tabor)
- Prep-Glenn loser vs. East-Reagan loser, 12:45 p.m. (Tabor)
- Prep-Glenn winner vs. East-Reagan winner, 7 p.m. (Joel Coliseum)
- West-FCD winner vs. Tabor-North winner, 8:30 p.m. (Joel Coliseum)
Saturday, Dec. 28
- Seventh-Place Game, 1 p.m. (Tabor)
- Fifth-Place Game, 2:45 p.m. (Tabor)
- Third-Place Game, 4:30 p.m. (Tabor)
- Championship, 8:45 p.m. (Joel Coliseum)