DIXFIELD – Tammy Anderson knows the brand of basketball that exists in the Mountain Valley Conference.

So the Leavitt girls’ basketball coach was more than happy Monday to have her Hornets get a taste of MVC tradition and intensity.

Her young Leavitt squad got a double dose, playing Jay and Winthrop on the opening day of the Mead Westvaco Holiday Girls’ Tournament at Dirigo High School.

“I told them You may be playing Class C teams, but we’re talking about Class C teams with tradition,'” said Anderson, who played for Winthrop from 1979 to 1983. “Those Winthrop shirts that say Proud to be a Rambler’, I own four of those. They say the same thing every year.”

The three-day tournament offers teams from all four classes the opportunity to play, fine tune and prepare for the season when it resumes next week.

The tourney, which returns after a two-year hiatus, has 13 teams. The schedule expands with a slate of games at both Mountain Valley and Dirigo on Tuesday.

Anderson even had the chance to coach against her former team. Leavitt was once part of the MVC but has struggled in Class A against KVAC foes.

“I don’t think we can give each other enough competition in practice to get what we got here,” said Anderson. “For me, it’s getting these kids psychologically ready. There’s no tradition there, and I came from tradition at Winthrop and USM. That’s what we’re battling right now. They’re great athletes, but they just don’t see that they’re great.”

The tournament suited the needs of many teams. A winless Edward Little squad beat Jay Monday afternoon. Two playoff contenders, Dirigo and Mt. Blue, tested their mettle against each other. Rangeley tried to stay sharp in its own game with Winthrop. The Class D state champions haven’t been tested much, but had to rally to beat the Ramblers.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to really put 32 minutes together and get some different combinations in there and mix some stuff up,” said coach Heidi Deery. “That’s what we’re looking to get out of it.”

Instead of a regular season game this week, Deery wanted some Christmas tourney action, and Dixfield made for a convenient location.

“It’s the quickest trip we’re going to have any place,” said Deery. “It’s good for us. It forces the kids to execute offensively and defensively. It just really focuses us on what we need to do when we have some big ballgames later on.”

Dirigo had hosted the tournament for eight years with eight teams participating. When the Cougars had a chance to play in Cony’s tournament in Augusta two years ago, Dirigo took that route. Last year, coach Gavin Kane took his team to Portland. This year, the Cougars wanted to stay home. Kane expects to make it a 16-team tourney next year and co-host with Mountain Valley again.

“We’re hoping to make this an event we can share with their community,” said Kane.

The three-day tournament not only provides a convenient location for local squads and some intriguing matchups, but also allows teams like Traip, Marshwood and a squad from Nashua, N.H., a taste of MVC and KVAC basketball. Kane says other Class A teams have already inquired about next year.

“I think it’s a good fit for a lot of the teams, and we had a few teams that were looking to travel somewhere and make it an overnight trip for them,” said Kane. “I like the mix of teams that we have.”