BY ROBERT L. BAKER

WYOMING COUNTY PRESS EXAMINER

The Lady Tigers are once again opening the 2012-13 basketball season with a 4-team tourney at home this weekend, Dec. 7-8, thanks to sponsorship of the Tunkhannock Kiwanis.

Action gets underway Friday at 5 p.m. with a junior varsity girls’ exhibition game between GAR of Wilkes-Barre and Elk Lake.

At 6:30 p.m., the varsity squads from both schools will also take to the floor.

And then the Friday nightcap at 8 p.m. features a varsity matchup between the Lady Tigers of Tunkhannock and the Lady Lions of Lackawanna Trail.

Saturday night’s roundball action will feature the JV girls’ squads from Tunkhannock and Trail at 5 p.m, followed by a consolation game at 6:30 p.m. pitting the losers of the previous night’s games.

And, then at 8 p.m., the winners of the opening night’s games will square off to crown a 2012 Lady Tiger Tip Off champion.

TA Coach Amanda Golden said, “We very much expect to win the tournament and show people what type of team we are going to be this season.”

She added, “Obviously we have some kinks to get out but it will be a great intro as we get ready for conference games.”

While the Tigers, Warriors and Grenadiers have been regulars in the season opening tourney in Tunkhannock, the Lions are a new entry replacing Susquehanna’s Sabers of last year.

Golden said, “We felt we just needed a little change and Trail would be a good addition.”

And, she noted that the games will give the home crowd an opportunity to meet the new squad.

“The girls look forward to getting in two at home,” she said. “We try to get the community to support us early in the season as well.”

Asked as to which team might pose the biggest challenge for the Lady Tigers, Golden said, “all the teams could be a challenge for us. We need to be ready to play and bring our ‘A’ game each and every night,”

What should spectators get out of watching the tourney?

“They should be able to see how hard the girls have worked in the preseason to prepare for this season,” she said.

“They are ready to play against someone other than each other,” Golden quipped. “They are very excited and hope the community will support them this season.”