A pair of local teams will be heading to Shepherd today to participate in a holiday basketball tournament. Montabella and Carson City-Crystal will be busy today, as they are set to play in the Shepherd Holiday Tournament. The Eagles will take on Ithaca at noon, while the Mustangs will face the South Grand Rapids Homeschoolers at 2 p.m.

Boys basketball season is underway, but Montabella would have liked to have waited a few days. The Mustangs made only 11 field goals against Lakeview Monday night to lose 60-37 in the season opener for both teams.

One game and one win so far for the Montabella Mustangs girls basketball team. The Mustangs finished with a stellar 15-5 regular season record a year ago, but lost in their first game of the postseason tournament 51-44 to St. Louis.

Montabella’s girls basketball team got a win, and that’s all coach Terry Larsen really cared about. “We’re always happy with a win,” he said.

Montabella’s football team didn’t have the same success in 2012 as the 2011 team. But then again, the team was vastly different.

Vestaburg’s football team ran into one of the toughest opponents in Division 8 Friday night. “They’re bigger, stronger, faster,” Wolverine coach Dan Ryckman said. “They” were Vestaburg’s first round opponent, Muskegon Catholic Central, which dominated Vestaburg 61-8 in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.

The losses keep piling up for Montabella’s volleyball team. The Mustangs lost their 7th dual match in a row Tuesday when they fell to the Ashley Bears 25-10, 25-18, 25-17.

Montabella’s volleyball team celebrated breast cancer awareness month, but Vestaburg was the one doing the final celebrating. The Wolverines swept the Mustangs in a Mid-State Activities Conference match Tuesday by scores of 25-13, 27-25, 26-24.

Vestaburg’s football team may have blown a lead in their game against Montabella, but they still got the win. The Wolverines got a touchdown from Christian Benavedes to beat the Mustangs 30-24 in overtime Friday night to clinch their first playoff spot since 2007.

Friday’s game between Montabella and Carson City-Crystal will be the Eagles’ homecoming game, but it will be more than that for the two teams. The Eagles will be looking to go 5-1 for the first time since 2004 with one game needed after that to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They also are looking to keep pace with Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart for the Mid-State Activities Conference South Division.