It’s expected to be a closely contested season in the Moose Jaw High School Senior Boys Basketball League this season.

The local teams are showing well on the provincial stage to start the year with a couple of medals coming back from recent tournaments.

Last weekend, the Vanier Vikings travelled to the Weyburn Comprehensive’s annual Christmas Classic and walked away with the gold medal.

Vanier went undefeated at the tournament, including winning 71-68 over the host Eagles in the final on Saturday.

“That was a good win for our school, it was a good experience for our new guys that are coming up from junior,” said Vanier’s Riley Follensbee. “I’m really excited for what’s ahead this season.”

The Vikings opened the tournament with an 85-67 win over North Battleford John Paul II and then they followed that up with a 70-62 triumph over Regina O’Neill.

Vanier is currently sitting at 2-0 in league play heading into their showdown with 2-0 Central on Tuesday in the final games before the Christmas break.

The Central Cyclones following their silver medal finish in Saskatoon last weekend. (Submitted photo)

The Cyclones are also coming off some recent tournament success as they finished in second place at the Centennial Charity Classic in Saskatoon last weekend.

Central lost to the North Battleford Comprehensive Vikings, 90-68, in the championship game. They Cyclones were leading 65-60 with five minutes to go, but North Battleford’s Jaron Armstrong exploded for five three pointers to allow the Vikings to pull away for the win.

Ethan Johnson had a team-high 14 points in the final loss, while Riley Seaborn and Fharis Ebet picked up 11 each.

The tournament opened with Central beating Saskatoon Walter Murray, 57-53.  They then beat the host Saskatoon Centennial Chargers, 72-60, with strong defensive performance in the second half.

The Cyclones host the Vikings for an early season first place showdown on Tuesday at 6:20 p.m. The girls game will follow at 8 p.m.

Also on Tuesday, the Peacock Toilers travel to Assiniboia to face the Rockets at 5:20 p.m. and 7 p.m.