Here's hoping you're having a great holiday season, and here's hoping you were able to see the Mt. Abram-Winthrop or Lawrence-Morse games on Friday night. Only about 60 fans were on hand for the Mt. Abram-Winthrop game, but it was still one of the most exciting games you could hope to see. I left the gym, got on my phone and said, "Games like that are why I love my job."

Moving on, the best matchups during this week are at the Capital City Hoop Classic. But there are a few interesting games on Friday in which Heal points are on the line.

FRIDAY

Cony at Nokomis: Both of these teams are 4-1 and are about as stingy as can be. Cony is allowing 33.2 points per game, while Nokomis is giving up 34 points per night. The Warriors probably don't have enough firepower to try to get into a shootout with Cony, so Nokomis will likely try to continue to keep the score down. This game also matches up two of the better players in the state in Nokomis point guard/forward/center Kelley Paradis and Cony center Rachael Mack, who is averaging 21.4 points per game.

Oxford Hills at Skowhegan: Oxford Hills has won three straight after an 0-2 start, while the Indians enter this game on a four-game win streak. The last three of those wins were against Hampden, Mt. Blue and Leavitt, all of whom are still in search of their first win. So it will be interesting to see how Skowhegan responds against a team which has a winning record. Earlier in the season, Skowhegan hung tough in a 16-point loss to Lawrence and defeated a better than expected Messalonskee team by five. Oxford Hills' two losses were close setbacks to Brunswick and Morse, two of the top teams in the KVAC A South Division.

Mt. Blue at Leavitt: These are two of the four winless teams in the KVAC (Hampden and Lewiston are the others). For Mt. Blue, this is a chance to get a win and gain some confidence. By all accounts, the Cougars are working hard and have talent, but haven't yet gotten settled in their new system or adjusted fully to the loss of Christina Mosher, Bonnie Silkman, Alyson Webster and Sarah Fournier -- four key players who have now graduated. The loss of Sabrina Keach to a knee injury hasn't helped either. So this is a game where Mt. Blue can start seeing that the adjustments are paying off.