Ellington

The MHSAA State Basketball Tournament is still a couple of months away, but the Mississippi Coliseum will be the site of some big-time high school hoops on Martin Luther King Day.

Three of Jackson's (and Mississippi's) top boys teams will play three Louisiana heavyweights in the Battle of the Border at the Big House on Monday, Jan. 19.

At noon, Provine (the defending Class 4A champion and the No. 3 team in the latest Associated Press prep poll) will play Bonnabel (Kenner). At 2 p.m., fifth-ranked Callaway faces University (Baton Rouge). At 4 p.m., top-ranked Lanier plays Denham Springs.

Some of the nation's top high school players will be on the floor, including:

Lanier's Monta Ellis (one of nation's top-ranked juniors) and Charles Rhodes (Mississippi State signee and ranked 57th among nation's high school seniors by RivalsHoops.com).

Provine's Charlie White (No. 142 and committed to Mississippi State).

Callaway's Charles Thomas (Arkansas signee and ranked No. 56 in the nation).

University's Glen Davis (No. 8 player in the nation and LSU signee).

Bonnabel's Shan Foster (No. 62 in the nation and Vanderbilt signee).

Denham Springs' Tasmin Mitchell (nation's No. 1 junior).

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students.