While most of the country takes an extended Christmas vacation this week, Warren County’s high school basketball teams will remain hard at work.

Six of the eight teams will be in action in tournaments next weekend and all of them will continue practice with barely enough time off to unwrap their presents. Time off is a luxury few of the county’s teams can afford right now, with most of them still trying to gain their footing and the start of the division schedule looming on the other side of New Year’s.

“We come back and have a district game the first week back. You have to be willing to give up your holidays if you want to get better,” Vicksburg High girls coach Barbara Hartzog said.

Hartzog and the Missy Gators — as well as Vicksburg’s boys team — will play Friday, Saturday and next Monday at the Northwest Rankin Holiday Tournament. The Missy Gators will play Velma Jackson, then either Pelahatchie or Madison Central, as well as a third game on Monday.

The VHS boys will play Hillcrest, Clinton and Terry in a round robin format. For the Gators, the tournament offers one last chance to tinker with things before diving into the meat of the schedule. The division opener against Callaway, which is also a rematch of last year’s Class 5A championship game, is Jan. 6.

“Out of conference play gets you ready for district play. It tells you who we can trust, who you can’t trust, who can play together, what combinations we need to use,” Vicksburg coach Dellie C. Robinson said.

Both Vicksburg teams have gotten off to a healthy 8-3 start, but their crosstown rival Warren Central is still scrambling to find its footing a bit. The girls team, which is utilizing a regular rotation that includes five freshmen and two sophomores, is 5-6. The boys are 5-7, with more of an eye toward the division schedule in January and February than the “preseason” games of November and December.

Both Warren Central teams, however, will have something to play for when they participate in the Jackson Public Schools Tournament. The prestigious event features 13 boys and 15 girls teams, including several state powers. A good run there would provide a nice launch into the new year, WC boys coach Bruce Robinson said.

“January is the time you really want to be clicking. Playing in this tournament will really let us know where we are. It’s not going to give us any false hopes because we’re playing somebody that’s weaker than we are,” he said. “It’s all about the opportunity. We have a golden opportunity to go to Jackson, which is still a tough tournament, and get to the finals. I’m looking forward to the challenge. We’ve had some tough games, but we’re about to get our basketball legs.”

Robinson added that he liked the Vikings’ chances of making a deep run in the tournament. They play at Lanier (5-5) in the first round Friday afternoon, with the winner advancing to face Germantown (8-4). Provine (7-3), Forest Hill (6-4) or Jefferson County (1-4) awaits after that.

“I think it’s a favorable draw. Terry is comparable to us. Lanier is about .500, we’re sitting at .500 and Germantown has a bye. We’re in the side of the bracket opposite Callaway, so I feel good about it,” Robinson said.

St. Aloysius will head to Hattiesburg for the Sacred Heart tournament, beginning with a girls game Friday at 3 p.m. against Enterprise-Lincoln.

Coach Delvin Thompson is hoping for a repeat of last season, when both the boys and girls teams won the tournament.

“I’m looking forward to a good tournament,” Thompson said. “We won it last year and we’re going to try to go down there and do the same thing again this year.”

Tournament openers

Friday

Vicksburg – at Northwest Rankin Tournament

(G) Vicksburg vs. Velma Jackson, 11 a.m.

(B) Vicksburg vs. Hillcrest Christian, 12:30 p.m.

Warren Central – at JPS Tournament

(G) Warren Central vs. Wingfield, 10 a.m., at Forest Hill

(B) Warren Central at Lanier, 2:30 p.m.

St. Aloysius – at Sacred Heart Tournament

(G) St. Al vs. Enterprise-Lincoln, 3 p.m.

(B) St. Al vs. Enterprise-Lincoln, 4:30 p.m.