The countdown has begun for a special day of high school basketball in the Metro community.

The first Metro Sports Report Classic, presented by Play It Again Sports Cedar Rapids, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Johnson Hall on the Kirkwood Community College campus in southwest Cedar Rapids.

All eight boys basketball teams from the Metro area will be playing in the Classic, making this the first time that all eight schools will be playing in the same event on the same day in the same gym.

The first session on Nov. 30 will start with Jefferson facing Prairie at 11 a.m. in the Battle of Southwest Cedar Rapids. Linn-Mar will play Marion at 1:15 in the Battle of Marion.

The second session will start with Kennedy meeting Xavier at 5 p.m. in the Battle of 42nd Street. Washington will face Cedar Valley Christian at 7:15 p.m. in the Battle of Cottage Grove Avenue.

All four contests will be regulation 32-minute games, but the outcome will not count on each team's won-loss records. The games are part of the Hall of Pride Scrimmages, sanctioned by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

The Metro Sports Report is working with the Cedar Rapids Salvation Army on this special event as the Army celebrates its 125th year in Cedar Rapids. All eight teams will serve as bell-ringers on Saturday, Nov. 16 at area locations as part of the Salvation Army's holiday fundraising Kettle Drive.

The Metro Sports Report Classic also will feature cheerleaders, poms, dance teams, national anthem singers, a drum line and other extra-curricular groups from the eight schools. In addition, members of the Salvation Army youth basketball program will play games during halftime of the varsity contests and serve as ballboys and ballgirls.

Play It Again Sports Cedar Rapids is the title sponsor for this event. The Cotton Gallery, Chick-fil-A and Athletic Republic/Mercy Medical Center are Silver Medal sponsors. American Family Insurance-Kurt Gustafson, Thrive Spine & Sport, OB-GYN Associates, and Thrivent Financial are Bronze Medal sponsors.

Tickets have been priced at $1 for students, $3 for senior citizens (55 & over) and $5 for the general public per session. Pre-kindergarten youngsters will be admitted for free.

Tickets may be ordered in advance by contacting Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tickets also will be sold at the eight schools and at the gate on game day.