WS Chronicle

The stage has been set for the 2024 David Lash/Chronicle JV Tournament. On Dec. 26-28, some of the best 9th and 10th graders in the Triad will compete for titles in two separate divisions at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy and Carver High School. 

Since 1992 the David Lash/Chronicle JV Tournament, which is named after Hall of Fame coach David Lee Lash, has been the place to be during the week of Christmas, to see the future of high school basketball in the area. The tournament was started over 30 years ago by Robert Wynn, longtime athletic director at Carver High School, and Ernie Pitt, founder of The Chronicle, and it’s still going strong.

Wynn and Pitt started the tournament to give junior varsity basketball teams in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School (WS/FCS) district, a chance to showcase their skills over the Christmas break. The only local holiday basketball tournament to pre-date “The Lash” is the Frank Spencer Classic, which dates back to the 1970s. 

“Coach Wynn and Mr. Pitt wanted to put together a JV tournament not to compete with the Frank Spencer, but to give JV kids an opportunity to play during Christmas break, because at the time those teams weren’t playing until January,” said Aaron Bailey, who has helped organize the tournament for over a decade. Bailey mentioned that the tournament has grown over the years to include teams from outside of WS/FCS, including Guilford County, Stokes County, and Davie County. 

“In the beginning The Lash didn’t have 14-15 schools … it may have been seven or eight high schools, so it was this big in regards to schools,” Bailey said. 

Last year, in what was one of the most competitive tournaments ever, the Carver Yellowjackets took home the title in The Chronicle Division and West Forsyth Titans won the Lash Division. 

This year 15 teams will be competing in the tournament and three out of the four North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) classifications (1A-4A) will be represented. Teams committed to play in the tournament include:  Carver, College Prep and Leadership Academy, Davie County, East Forsyth, Glenn, Lexington, North Forsyth, Mount Tabor, Parkland, Reagan, Reynolds, Walkertown, West Forsyth, West Stokes, and Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy. 

When discussing the teams competing in this year’s tournament, Zach Hargett, who has helped organize the tournament since 2009, said with the amount of talent returning to several teams, he thinks it will be the best tournament we’ve ever seen. 

“Last year we had a very competitive tournament. We didn’t have any blowouts, almost every game came down to a few possessions … I think this year has the potential to be even better,” Hargett continued. “A few of these teams have been playing together for a long time and you can see it when they step on the court.” 

Be sure to visit www.wschronicle.com and grab a copy of next week’s print edition to see tournament brackets and a list of game start times.