Hoops time in Plymouth, Minnetonka

If you're in the mood for some pre-holiday tournament action, the West metro has it covered.

The 12th annual Great Western Lutheran Shootout basketball tournament is being hosted by West Lutheran High School in Plymouth this year. The tournament begins Thursday and runs through Saturday, culminating with the boys' championship at 6 p.m.

The field features boys' and girls' teams from six states: Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin.

The West Lutheran boys' team has won the past four years; the girls' team also won last season.

Games begin at 11 a.m. Thursday. A daily pass is $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. A three-day pass costs $12 and $7. Admission fees will help offset team housing.

A live Web stream of the games will also be available from the West Lutheran school website.

Tip Off ClassicMeanwhile at Minnetonka High School, a collection of top boys' basketball talent from Minnesota will be on display Saturday at the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic.

Other games include:

• Eden Prairie vs. Duluth East at 11 a.m.

• Orono vs. Braham at 12 p.m.

• Osseo vs. Prior Lake at 1:45 p.m.

• DeLaSalle vs. Cooper at 5 p.m.

On to nationalsBlake School freshman Coco Kaminski has qualified for this weekend's Junior U.S. Figure Skating Championships in East Lansing, Mich.

She took fourth place in intermediate ladies at the Upper Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships in October, finishing seventh in the short program and third in the long program. At the junior nationals, she will compete in the long program in the preliminary round. The top 18 to 20 skaters advance to the final round. The short- and long-program events are contested in the final round.