When the Harper Orthodontics Tournament of Champions was born four years ago, the idea was to grow it into one of the premier high school girls basketball tournaments in the region iif not the nation. Judging by the success of last year¹s event and the field for this year, that goal is becoming a reality.

For the past two days, my phone has been ringing off the hook with college coaches wanting to know information on the tournament, said Northside head coach Rickey Smith, whose squad has walked away with the hardware the past two seasons. They love it because it gives them a chance to see a lot of great talent in one place.

High school coaches also love it because it gives them a chance to play three tough games in three days, with the competition even tougher than they will face in a state tournament in most cases.

Last year, Northside defeated Valley View, Texas, Jenks, Okla., and Blue Valley North (Kan.) on the way to the Tournament of Champions title. Valley View did not lose again until the state finals and Jenks and Blue Valley both went on to capture state championships in their respective state¹s largest classifications. Northside also went on to win its second straight Arkansas Class AAAAA state championship.

Ozark, which is back in the field this year, went 1-2 in the TofC last year, but did not lose the rest of the year on its way to winning the Class AAA title.

"You want to play as tough a schedule as you can at this point," said Ozark head coach Ron Rippy. "Last year this tournament showed us that we could play with some of the top teams, but also that there were a few things we needed to work on to get to the next level."

The field looks strong again this year as four of the eight teams are defending state champions. Two more were state runner-ups and the remaining two were state quarterfinalists.

The tournament tips off with Waxahachie, Texas, taking on Carl Albert High School of Midwest City, Okla., at 4 p.m. Northside follows at 5:30 against Greenland. Ozark plays Guy-Perkins at 7 p.m. and Southside goes against Woodward, Okla., at 8:30 p.m.

As two-time defending champ and host this year, many are looking to Northside as one of the teams to beat again.

The Lady Bears (3-1) are ranked No. 15 in the nation in the Fox Fab 50 basketball rankings. Northside lost to nationally-ranked Briarcrest, Tenn., last week but bounced back to beat No. 10-ranked Shelbyville, Tenn., the next night.

Woodward (Okla.) also appears to be loaded with four returning starters that are 6-foot-1 or taller. The Boomers were 26-1 last year with the only loss coming in the finals of the Class 5A state tournament. "Every team in this thing is cabable of winning," Smith said. "That¹s why its a great tournament.²

Tourney of Champs Thumbnails

Northside Lady Bears
Team Classification: Class AAAAA
Coach: Rickey Smith
Last year: 28-3, Class AAAAA State Champs
This year¹s record: 3-1.
Key players: Megan Kale (5-8, Sr. G) 7 ppg; Redd Coleman (5-11, Jr. P) 14 ppg; Tamika Kursh (6-1, Jr. P); 13 ppg; Ashley Coleman (5-8, Soph. G); Tandem Mays (5-8, Soph. G).
Notes: The two-time defending state and Tournament of Champions champs return two of the best players in the state in Kursh and Coleman, who both have been offered scholarships by multiple Division I schools ... The Lady Bears are ranked in several national publications, including the No. 15 spot in the Fox Fab 50 ... Lost to nationally-ranked Briarcrest, Tenn. in a tournament at Memphis last weekend but bounced back to beat No. 10-ranked Shelbyville, Tenn. the next night .. Team is 56-6 with two state championships over the past two years.

Southside Lady Rebels
Team Classification: Class AAAAA
Coach: Merrill Mankin
Last year: 21-11, Class AAAAA State Quarterfinalist.
This year¹s record: 2-3.
Key players: Hibba Ihmeidan (5-6, Sr. G/W) 11 ppg; Melissa Thompson (5-10, Sr. F/P) 14 ppg; Allison Singleton (5-4, Sr. G) ; Miranda Moreton (5-8, Soph. P/F) 11ppg.
Notes: The Lady Rebels have seven seniors on the squad ... Lost by a basket to Guy-Perkins and Mountain Home by 4 in the Mountain View Invitational and at Ozark in a non-conference game ...

Ozark Lady Hillbillies
Team Classification: Class AAA
Coach: Ron Rippy
Last year: 34-2, Class AAA State Champs.
This year¹s record: 4-2.
Key players: Kendra Beard (5-8, Sr. G) 13 ppg. 4.6 asst; Nikki Zeiler (6-0, Sr. P) 9 ppg; Sarah Pfeifer (6-0, Jr. P) 19 ppg, 9 reb; Heather Shaffer (5-4, Sr. G) 9 ppg; Trenta Norris (5-6, Sr. G).
Notes: Pfeifer is one of the premier players in the state on the inside and makes up stong inside combo with Zeiler, the state tournament MVP last year ... Both losses came to Palestine-Wheatley, which features one of the top players in the state in Louisana Tech signee Erika Smith. Pfeifer scored 29 and 28 respectively in the those two games ... Ozark¹s two losses in the TofC last year where the only two defeats of the season ... Finished last year ranked No. 36 in the Fox Sports final rankings and are No. 13 in the Southwest Region by Fox this year ... Point guard Kendra Beard and shooting forward Trenta Norris are coming off ACL injuries last year .. .

Guy-Perkins Lady T¹birds
Team Classification: Class A
Coach: John Hutchcraft
Last year: 24-6, Class A State Quarterfinalist
This year¹s record: 15-1.
Key players: Ashley Hutchcraft (5-11, soph. F), 14 ppg.; Nicky Tyrus (5-10, Jr. F) 13 ppg; Darbie Tyrus (5-11, Jr. F) 15 ppg.; Jessica Brown (5-8, Fr. F) 13 ppg; Elana Ealy (5-4, Soph. G) 10 ppg.
Notes: With five players in double figures, the Lady Thunderbirds like to push the tempo and are averaging over 80 points a game as a team ... Set a state record for 50 points in a quarter earlier this season .... Hutchcraft has a record of 524-93 (.850) in 22 years at the school including a Class B State Championship in O84... Only loss game in the finals of the Mountain View Invitational to Harrison on Saturday ... Wins this year include by two over Southside and also beat Cave City ... Won a prestigious tournament in Longview, Texas three years ago and played the No. 1 team in the nation, Christ The King from Chicago, four years ago.

Greenland Lady Pirates
Team Classification: Class AA
Coach: Clay Reeves.
Last year: 32-3, Class AA State Champions
This year¹s record: 4-0.
Key players: Julie Anderson (5-3, Sr. G) 8 ppg; Prescilla Mathias (5-6, Jr. G) 14 ppg; Lacey Beauchamp (5-7, Jr. G) 7.7 ppg.
Notes: Over the past five years, Greenland has been one of the elite teams in the state winning two straight state titles after three straight runner-ups. The Lady Pirates are 339-18 (.950) in that span ... Beat Northside on the Lady Bears home floor last year in a regular-season match ... .

Carl Albert High School
(Midwest City, Okla.)
Team Classification: Class 5A
Coach: Larry Truesdell.
Last year: 28-0, Class 5A State Champs.
This year¹s record: N/A.
Key players: Brooke Honey (5-11, Sr. P); Justina Davis (6-0, Sr. P); Amanda Jones (5-7, Sr. F); Chelsee Truesdell (6-1, P)
Notes: The Lady Titans should be one of the team¹s to beat with three returning starters from last year¹s unbeaten squad ... Defeated Woodward in the state finals last year ... .

Waxahachie, Texas
Team Classification: Class AAAA
Coach: Lesi Priebe.
Last year: 33-4, Class AAAA Runner-up.
This year¹s record: N/A.
Key players: Kashayla Hawkins (5-5, Jr. G) ; Olivia Pyburn (5-7, Jr. G) ; Shakyra Walker (5-11, Jr. P).
Notes: The Lady Indians are ranked No. 3 in Texas ... .

Woodward High School
Team Classification: Class 5A
Coach: Kim Kramer.
Last year: 26-1, Class 5A State Runner-up.
This year¹s record: 3-0.
Key players: Kayla Bowers (6-2, Sr. P) 21 ppg; Lindsey Van Dorn (6-2, Jr. P) 10 ppg; Laura Mitchel (6-1, Sr. P); Melissa Hobbs (6-1, Jr. F) 20 ppg.
Notes: After winning the 5A title in O99, the Boomers fell to Midwest City in the Championship game last year and have a record of 53-2 over the past two years ... Four starters are back, including Bowers, who is considered one of the top players in the state and is already signed with Texas ... Woodward is ranked No 20 in the nation by ESPN.