The Capital Area Hoop Classic appeared to pay immediate dividends for the Cony girls and boys basketball teams, both of whom beat Morse in regular season games Tuesday night.

The tournament ended Monday with the Cony girls playing one game and the boys playing two, including the championship game.
The tournament had a bonding effect on both teams, according to the coaches and a couple of the players. Many of the other teams echoed those sentiments including boys champion Camden Hills, who saw the tournament as a chance to become a more cohesive team entering the last two thirds of the season.
If a proposal by the Maine Principals Association to cut regular-season and preseason games goes into effect, this could be the last year of the tournament. That would be a shame. Now in its 14th year, the Classic is a one-of-a-kind event, played in a tournament atmosphere at the August Civic Center. The athletes from the 12 participating teams receive first class treatment, from scholarships awarded to a tournament brunch complete with a guest speaker and dozens of raffle prizes.
The basketball isn't bad either. This year, all the teams were from Maine and included four defending state championship teams and three of four potential state champs. The tournament attracts around 10,000 fans and is great gathering spot for kids and fans around the holidays, not to mention a nice moneymaker for the Cony Boosters Club. Efforts to save an event like this shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.