SoCon basketball tournaments to allow limited attendance

Press release from Southern Conference:

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Earlier this week, the State of North Carolina made adjustments to the mass gathering limitations for arenas with a seating capacity over 5,000 to allow for 15 percent of the stated capacity. The Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville sold out the men’s title game of the 2020 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale with 6,400 fans in attendance. After careful evaluation, the 2021 tournaments, slated for March 4-8 in Asheville, North Carolina, will allow 544 individuals to attend each session. These tickets will be distributed through the member institutions of the Southern Conference to allow families and a limited number of fans to attend the games. In the event that there are tickets remaining for a session, a program will be announced next week for frontline workers to purchase the remaining tickets.

The limit of 544 provides for proper social distancing both in the upper seating bowl via pods of two and throughout the venue. There will be no fan seating on the court level of the venue.  The Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale have been a collaborative effort for the past 10 years between the Southern Conference, the City of Asheville, Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission and Buncombe County. The plan for this tournament was also a collaborative effort between all in accordance with the guidance from the State of North Carolina.

To facilitate the limited attendance and allow proper time for cleaning and sanitization, the tournament schedule has been adjusted accordingly. Thursday’s women’s games will now be played in two sessions, with games starting at 12 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Friday’s women’s semifinals will now be played at 12 p.m. and 2:15 p.m., followed by men’s first-round games at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Southern Conference and the 10th consecutive year that the tournament has been held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville.

SHARE
About Community Bulletin
Mountain Xpress posts selected news and information of local interest as a public service for our readers. To submit press releases and other community material for possible publication, email news@mountainx.com.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.