06-06-2025
Poplar Springs hosts 15th annual summer showdown
HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — For two weeks each summer, rural Holmes County transforms into a hub for high school basketball as Poplar Springs hosts its annual Summer Showdown.
Now in its 15th year, the tournament has become a staple of the off-season. The varsity boys portion of the event tipped off Monday and Tuesday, and wrapped up its final day of action on Thursday morning.
The competition has featured teams from across the Florida Panhandle and Alabama's Wiregrass region, playing in round-robin matchups from sunup to sundown across both the new and old gymnasiums at Poplar Springs School.
Twelve local teams from Walton, Calhoun, Jackson, Washington, and Holmes counties took part in the three-day event.
Poplar Springs head boys basketball coach Jared Owen said the summer tournament provides a rare and valuable opportunity for programs to test themselves in unique conditions.
'Some teams you see on a regular basis, some teams you see just during the summer,' Owen said. 'So there's exciting opportunities and chances throughout. Then you get to see a lot of how your players respond to different teams and different disadvantages, like playing back-to-back. You don't do that during the season, but you do during the summer.'
Week two of the summer basketball round-robin action will continue with the varsity girls basketball teams on June 9, 10, and 12.
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