Tigers to Compete in 64th Annual Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament

Benjamin J Veshi

The Hargrave Varsity Basketball team travels to Alexandria, Virginia this week to compete in the 64th Annual Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament which is held at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School.

Now in the event’s 64th year, the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament is one of the longest running tournaments in the sate of Virginia and typically features a completely loaded field. This year is no exception as the Tigers are set to compete against strong programs and state title contenders including Carmel School (Ruther Glen, Virginia), Catholic High School (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Friendship Tech Preparatory (Washington, D.C.), Highland School (Warrenton, Virginia), Maret School (Washington, D.C.), St. Anne’s-Belfield School (Charlottesville, Virginia), and host St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (Alexandria, Virginia), winner of the 2018 Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament Championship and reigning VISAA Division 1 State Champions.

The tournament was started by Coach Albert “Sleepy” Thompson to bring schools with similar academic and athletic objectives together for some friendly competition. Thompson, long time coach at SSSAS, notched 307 wins over the course of his coaching career and his legacy continues to live on through this annual tournament.

The Tigers open up against Maret School (2014 Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament Champion) on Thursday December 5th at 3:00 PM. Maret is a perennial powerhouse in Washington, D.C. and should provide a great test for Hargrave, who is currently 3-0 on the season.

The remainder of the weekend is based on results, however, Carmel School and Highland School represent the other two schools on Hargrave’s side of the bracket. The Tigers faced off against Carmel in last year’s season opener, where they were defeated 78-66 in the opening round of the Dale Travis Invitational Tournament at Trinity Episcopal. Hargrave also played Highland last year, where they won a thrilling game, 71-65. The weekend’s schedule can be found below.

Thursday December 5th
3:00 PM–Hargrave Military Academy vs Maret School
5:00 PM–Carmel School vs Highland School
7:00 PM–St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School vs St. Anne’s-Belfield School
9:00 PM–Friendship Tech Preparatory vs Catholic High School

Friday December 6th
3:00 PM–Consolation Semifinals
5:00 PM–Consolation Semifinals
7:00 PM–Championship Semifinals
9:00 PM–Championship Semifinals

Saturday December 7th
11:00 AM–7th Place Game
1:00 PM–5th Place Game
3:00 PM–3rd Place Game
5:00 PM–Championship

The games will be streamed online at: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/st-stephen-st-agnes-school-alexandria-va

EG