The Classic: 'It's so fun'

Dec. 28—Bloomfield High School cheerleaders Lydia Wade and Georgia Durbin weren't sure of the final score between their team and West Vigo High School during the First Financial Wabash Valley Classic Thursday — they were too busy cheering their team to victory.

"It's really exciting; the atmosphere is just different," said Wade, a Bloomfield senior. "There are so many teams ... It's almost like mini-sectionals. It's so fun."

Durbin is a freshman and it was her first time at the Wabash Valley Classic, which is taking place at Terre Haute South Vigo High School.

"It's definitely not what I expected, but it's so exciting to be here," Durbin said. "I didn't expect it to be this big."

Wade, who has been to the tournament before, described the atmosphere as "very supportive. Everybody has such high energy," Wade said.

The Cardinals won in the consolation bracket, defeating the Vikings 45-38, and advanced to Friday's consolation championship.

Thursday was the third day of this year's Wabash Valley Classic, and the stands had plenty of fans sporting school colors and rooting for their favored teams and players.

Among those fans was Liz Luse of Bloomfield, who had just watched her grandsons play against West Vigo.

At the Wabash Valley Classic, "You get to see a lot of good teams play. You get to play teams that are different than what you would normally have on your schedule," Luse said. The event "is always run really well."

She has two grandsons on the team — Owen Medina and Kellen Luse — "so I enjoy every bit of it," she said.

Bloomfield "played tough, and it was a good team (West Vigo) they played against," she said.

It's the 24th year for the popular tournament, which features 16 boy's high school teams playing 28 games over four days at one site.

South Vigo athletic director Ed Jarvis described the First Financial Wabash Valley Classic as "a great community event."

Some of the fans have attended every game for several years.

Others come with families.

"This is what they do for Christmas. This is their holiday break ... They come to the Classic together and watch all the games," Jarvis said.

And communities support their teams.

"There are teams with some solid fan support. A team like Marshall, it seems like the whole town of Marshall shows up to see them," Jarvis said.

Even for teams not doing great in a given year, parents and families "still come out in droves to see them," Jarvis said.

Ticket prices were increased this year because those working the event are being paid more, he said.

"So far we've had zero complaints about the rising ticket prices," which are $10 for single-day passes and $25 for all-tournament passes, Jarvis said.

Attendance has been good and "financially, we're doing well," he said. The event has strong sponsorship, and lead sponsor First Financial "is very generous."

Jarvis noted that after bills are paid, all 16 teams get a portion of the sales, and for some schools, "That can be a lot of money for an athletic budget."

He added, "We're sorry we've had to raise the prices, but you've got to realize it's still going back to the kids."

At 2:30 p.m., the Greencastle Tiger Cubs played against the Casey-Westfield Warriors in the consolation bracket.

Among those watching was Scott Lewis, whose grandson Connor Sullivan was playing for Greencastle. He's been to the Classic before.

"I think the referees are being really fair on their calls," Lewis said. "The crowd is into it. Everybody seems to be having a good time."

He said he's been to a few games this year throughout Indiana where referees "have been pretty terrible. But these referees seem to be really good today," he said.

He came with family, including his daughter and son-in-law.

Also supporting the Tiger Cubs was Nick Adams, whose son Anthony Adams is on the team.

The team had been "struggling a little bit with shooting, but otherwise they're doing OK," he said during half-time break when the score was tied at 24-24.

Commenting on the tournament, Adams said, "It's a great facility. The atmosphere is great. There's a good music playlist."

Also, "The basketball games are always competitive," Adams said. "It's a great time."

And he acknowledged, "Yeah — I'm a yeller. But not at the refs."

It must have helped. Greencastle emerged the victor, 46-42 over Casey.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue