The junction City Blue Jays open play in the Tournament of Champions in Dodge City Thursday night.

Junction City meets Claflin – Central Plains in a first round game at 7 p.m.

Central Plains is 8-1 on the season, ranked number three in Class 2A in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll. Blue Jay coach Pat Battle said the matchup will be interesting. “They’re very good.  ” Battle added, ” This is a bunch of kids who won state in football. They’re a team that’s a lot like us. I mean they’ve got a lot of kids who can shoot the basketball. They’re quick, they’re athletic, and they know how to win.”

Other first round matchups find Bishop Carroll playing Shawnee Mission South on the same side of the bracket as Junction City. The other side of the bracket has Dodge City against Newton, and Derby against Wichita North.

This is the 72nd year for the Tournament of Champions.

You can hear the Blue Jay games in the tournament on The Talk of JC, KJCK AM.