The writer’s area of coverage includes Fountain Hills and Scottsdale west through the Phoenix metropolitan area and the southwest, northwest and north Valley and into northern Arizona.

Winter sports get under way next week in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and continue through that weekend.

Here is a quick look at some of the bigger events . . .

Basketball

Deer Valley Thanksgiving Tournament (girls), Monday (Nov. 25) through Saturday (Nov. 30) at Glendale Deer Valley.

1^st Annual  Independence Thanksgiving Tournament (boys), Monday through Saturday at Glendale Independence.

Teams – Gilbert Campo Verde, San Tan Valley Combs, Fountain Hills, Glendale, Glendale Independence, Florence Poston Butte, Phoenix Trevor Browne, Surprise Valley Vista.

Moon Valley Thanksgiving Tournament (girls), Monday through Saturday at Phoenix Moon Valley.

Teams – Glendale Apollo, Phoenix Arcadia, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, Glendale Cactus, Glendale Ironwood, Phoenix Moon Valley, Glendale Mountain Ridge, Phoenix North, Florence Poston Butte, Tempe Prep, Phoenix Washington, Buckeye Youngker.

Arrowhead Desert Classic (boys), Monday through Friday (Nov. 29) at Glendale Ironwood.

Teams – Phoenix Brophy Prep, Buckeye, Phoenix Greenway, Glendale Ironwood, Peoria Liberty, Phoenix Moon Valley, Peoria, Prescott, Surprise Shadow Ridge, Phoenix Sierra Linda, Phoenix Sunnyslope, Peoria Sunrise Mountain, Phoenix Thunderbird, Buckeye Verrado.

Scorpion Shootout (boys), Friday and Saturday at Goodyear Desert Edge.

Wrestling

Southwest Showdown, Friday and Saturday at Grand Canyon University, Phoenix.

Teams – Anthem Boulder Creek, Phoenix Carl Hayden, Laveen Cesar Chavez, Scottsdale Chaparral, Vail Cienega, Tempe Corona del Sol, Goodyear Desert Edge, Mesa Desert Ridge, Florence, Tucson Flowing Wells, Gilbert Highland, Tempe Marcos de Niza, Tempe McClintock, Goodyear Millennium, Phoenix Paradise Valley, Parker, Payson, Mesa Red Mountain, Rio Rico, Tucson Salpointe Catholic, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Mesa Skyline, Tempe, Surprise Valley Vista, Buckeye Verrado.