JOHN DAY – John Day is going to be a little crowded for the next few days.

The 1A District 8 boys and girls basketball tournament tips off at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Grant Union High School. The tournament is expected to bring an additional 400 people into the community.

The Burnt River and Spray girls will play the first game of the tournament.

The schedule calls for games at 1 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. There will be additional games at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

“It’s exciting to play in these tournaments,” Monument/Dayville girls coach Skip Inscore said. “The district tournament is what you look forward to. When I didn’t coach for two or three years what I missed most was the district tournament because you get to see a lot of really good teams.”

Among the local teams, Monument/Dayville girls will face Huntington in their first game of the tourney, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. The loser will play again at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, and the winner will play at 1 p.m. Friday.

Prairie City’s girls will play their first game at 7 p.m. Thursday against Adrian.

The Prairie City boys team will face Adrian at 2:45 p.m. Thursday.

If they lose, they will play at 10 a.m. Friday; if they win, they will play at 8:45 p.m. Friday.

“It’s nice to only be 13 miles away from home,” Prairie City boys coach Ryan Gerry said. “It’s great for the community of John Day. We don’t have to worry about a motel. The kids get to sleep in their own bed and get a good night’s sleep.”

With the final games of each day not expected to finish until about 10 p.m. several local businesses will stay open later than usual. Dairy Queen will be open until 11:30 p.m., Subway will be open until 10 p.m.; and the Outpost Pizza and Grill also will stay open past its usual closing time.

More information on local restaurants, hotels and other services can be obtained at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce visitor table at the tournament.