WHEELING – A pair of eastern Ohio high school basketball events were among the 11 approved statewide Monday by the Ohio Basketball Coaches Association and the Ohio High School Athletic Association to utilize a 35-second shot clock during their competition in the upcoming season.

The Buckeye 8 Challenge, which started at Ohio University Eastern before moving to Harrison Central High School in Cadiz and has now returned to the ECO Center, and the Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase, which enters its seventh year this winter, at Toronto High School were selected.

Mark Cook, ECO Center Facility Manager, said his staff works hand-in-hand with Buckeye 8 Challenge Director Justin Clifford in coordinating the event, which is nearly a decade-and-a-half old.

“We did some research and applied for the Shot Clock Event with the Ohio Basketball Coaches Association and OHSAA in April,” Cook said. “On Monday the games were awarded and we were fortunate to be one of them.

“As we were looking for opponents for the 2026 Buckeye 8 Challenge, Hiland expressed an interest to bring its boys and girls teams to The ECO Center,” Cook added. “We were having a hard time matching up an opponent to play Hiland and Justin said, ‘we will play them with a shot clock.'”

Clifford is also the Athletic Director at St. Clairsville High School. The Red Devils and the Hawks will conclude the six-game event on Sat., Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.

Cook added that the ECO staff had looked ahead in their planning.

“During our renovation phase at the ECO Center we purchased new portable hoops. We made a decision at that time to also purchase shot clocks with the idea in mind the shot clock may be implemented in Ohio.

“We are excited about our two-day field of basketball at The ECO Center on December 18-19,” he said

Clifford is excited about the shot clock approval.

“We love expanding the game and evolving as the game continues to evolve,” he said. “We love to showcase good basketball, good players and good coaches. This will only help that.

“With the ECO Center being a beautiful, updated facility, we think it’s a no-brainer to add the shot clock. We hope it comes full-time sometime soon in Ohio.”

The Buckeye 8 Challenge is the fourth event out of 11 and will begin on Fri., Dec. 18 with Waterford and Indian Creek meeting in girls action at 6, followed by a boys clash between Philo and Bridgeport.

Saturday’s action begins at noon as Marion Pleasant and Martins Ferry play in boys action. Delaware Hayes, coached by St. Clairsville graduate Adam Vincenzo, will face Thornville Sheridan at 2 p.m., also in a boys matchup. Martins Ferry will tangle with Hiland in girls play at 4.

Sean Tucker, organizer of the Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase, was thrilled that his event was selected.

“We are honored that the state has chosen our showcase as one of the host venues for this year’s OHSBCA/OHSAA Shot Clock events,” he stressed. “We have 23 high school teams competing in this year’s event that will be a part of history.

“Our goal every year is to bring new excitement to our showcase and when we were asked to be a part of it, we gladly accepted it,” Tucker added. “Our school was able to purchase the clocks and have them installed by the cutoff date to make this possible. So we are very excited to be a part of this.

The Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase is the eighth stop on the event tour. It is scheduled for Dec. 28-30 inside George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium in the Gem City.

“Having two events in the area with the Buckeye 8 challenge and the Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase just gives the Ohio Valley more exposure to what’s to come with the shot clocks in the near future.”

Twenty-three boys teams will compete in 13 games from Dec. 28-30. They include Indian Creek, Oak Glen, Carrollton, Wheeling Park, Canfield, Akron Hoban, Steubenville, Chartiers Valley (PA.), Western Reserve, Marlington, Patriot Prep (Columbus), Toronto, Buckeye Local, Steubenville Catholic, Monroe Central, Bridgeport, Malvern, Shadyside, Brooke, Wheeling Central, River, Maysville and Independence. Marlington, Patriot Prep and Toronto will each play twice.

Shot Clock events will begin on Dec. 5-6 at the Battle in the Capital City. The next stop is the Lady Titan Classic (Dec. 12), with the Battle in the 740 at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth (Dec. 12-13).

Following the Buckeye 8 Challenge, the tour swings north to the Canton McKinley Fieldhouse for the OHSBCA Shot Clock Shootout (Dec. 18-19). The Meyer-Badenhop Holiday Shot Clock Classic at Napoleon High School (Dec. 26-27) and Bluffton’s McDonald’s Holiday Shootout (Dec. 28-29) lead into the Todd Kalivoa Holiday Showcase. The AIA Shot Clock Showcase in Xenia (Jan. 2-3, 2027); the Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican University (Jan. 15-18) and the Classic in the Country at Hiland High School in Berlin (Jan. 16-18) round out the stops.