Apparently, Santa Claus couldn't fit the Meramec Holiday Festival Basketball Tournament on his sleigh. The gift that is this year's tournament won't be delivered until the day after the jolly fat man breaks into everyone's house and leaves a load of goods.

But it's worth the wait. This year's version of the tournament, its 28th, might be the best yet. Consider this first round matchup, fourth-seeded Hazelwood Central (5-1) and 13th-seeded Fort Zumwalt West (3-2).

"That might be the best first round game in the history of the tournament," Webster Groves coach Jay Blossom said during the National City Webster Classic.

Blossom's Statesmen (7-0) are the top-seeded team in the tournament and draw 16-seed Parkway Central (0-8) in the first round. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. the day after Christmas. Webster is a three-time Meramec champion.

Troy (6-1), the defending champ, is seeded second and gets 15-seed University City (2-5) next Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Third-seeded DeSmet (4-2), a 10-time champion, takes on 14-seed Parkway West (2-2) at 4 p.m. next Wednesday, while fifth-seeded St. Charles West (7-0), who might be the best team in the tournament, takes on 12-seed Eureka (4-2) at 5:30 p.m. the day after Christmas.

Six-seed Lafayette (5-2) gets 11-seed Marquette (5-1) in a grudge match at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday. The Lancers just beat their rivals 54-50 five days ago.

In the other rivalry game, seventh-seeded Vianney (5-4) gets 10-seed Kirkwood (2-3) at 8:30 p.m. next Wednesday.

"We play the last game of the last night of the tournament," Kirkwood coach Bill Gunn said.

The eighth-seeded Lindbergh Flyers (3-2) take on ninth-seeded Christian Brothers College High (4-2) in the last game of the night the day after Christmas (scheduled for 8:30 p.m.).

That's a roster of who's who in St. Louis hoops this winter. There are three teams that played in The Shootout and the top-ranked Journal team in the large school poll (Webster Groves) and small school poll (St. Charles West).

This is a chance for good basketball teams that normally wouldn't play one another to square off. St. Charles West is in Class 4, while Webster is a Class 5 team and they could possibly meet in one semifinal.

Consider this: to reach the final, the No. 1 seed would have to go through Lindbergh or CBC and Hazelwood Central or St. Charles West. Heaven knows who they'd get in the last game (could be the gigantic DeSmet or the balanced Troy or the better-than-seeded Lafayette).

"It's an opportunity to play the best teams St. Louis has to offer," Gunn said. "You play four games in four days and you might play four teams with four different styles. It's another way to measure your club as you prepare for conference and districts."

The championship game is slated for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30.