Varnado is hosting its annual basketball jamboree this Thursday.

The event features nine teams — four girls and five boys.

The eight-game jamboree begins at 5 p.m. with start times every 30 minutes. Teams will play one 10-minute half per game.

The event tips off with Varnado playing Franklinton in a girls contest at 5 p.m. They are followed by Pine and Franklinton’s boys.

At 6 p.m., Bogalusa and Pine compete in a girls game before Varnado and Jewel Sumner get under way in a boys game at 6:30 p.m.

The 7 o’clock contest is Varnado and Pine’s girls, followed by Pine and Jewel Sumner’s boys.

The final hour has Bogalusa and Franklinton’s girls at 8 p.m. and then the same schools’ boys teams cap off the evening at 8:30 p.m.

Several of the competing teams reached the playoffs last season.

The host school’s boys and girls’ teams reached the postseason. Varnado’s boys made it to the Class 1A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Arcadia, 65-62.

Varnado’s girls lost in the first round to Class 1A state semifinalist, Montgomery, 68-45.

Both of Bogalusa’s teams made the postseason. The Lady Jacks lost in the first round to Class 3A quarterfinalist Westlake, 52-40. Bogalusa’s boys suffered a 69-38 loss to Green Oaks, which reached the second round.

Franklinton’s boys advanced to the second round, but suffered a 71-56 setback to Class 4A state semifinalist Edna Karr.

Pine’s girls lost to Lakeview, 56-36, in the opening round. Lakeview reached the second round.

This event also features four teams with new coaches, and all four have ties to Varnado.

Varnado’s boys and girls basketball teams have new coaches this season. Brett Cooper takes over the boys team while Cashandra Nichols is the new girls coach.

Brad Oestriecher, who spent the past three seasons at Varnado, is now at Franklinton.

Drew Meyerchick is the new coach at Pine. Like Oestriecher coaching at his former home gym for the jamboree, Meyerchick also has ties to Varnado. He will be coaching in the place he played high school basketball from 2003-05 under his father, Paul Meyerchick. Drew Meyerchick’s number is retired at Varnado.