The old saying goes, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

For Hall County basketball rivalries, fewer meetings makes for a more exciting annual Lanierland tournament, now in its 52nd consecutive year, the longest running basketball tournament in the state.

“With many of us being in different regions,” East Hall coach Joe Dix said, “it’s brought some of the luster back to the tournament.”

Until the 2009-2010 season, most of the Hall County teams had been concentrated for a number of seasons in 7-AAA. With county teams meeting so often in region, another matchup in Lanierland wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as it had been.

Then the new realignment broke up the Hall-centric region, and the excitement of playing a county rival has come roaring back.

“It’s the first real test for teams in a young season. And of course it transcends existing rivalries, classifications and builds every year upon the tradition of the tournament,” said Sammy Smith, who was involved with the tournament for many years, including 2010. “This is where neighbors play against each other and church members play against each other.

“I suspect coaches mention Lanierland as one of a very few goals at the start of a season.”

For Dix and the East Hall boys, it is, as he says, one of the carrots to start the year.

The East Hall boys basketball team is no stranger to the Lanierland basketball tournament finals.

In the past 16 seasons the Vikings have only missed out on the finals once, in 2008, when this year’s senior class were freshmen.

Even with all the success, that one year isn’t easy to forget.

“It was my only time not in finals,” Dix remembers. “It was the first time in tournament history that we didn’t win a game, and I don’t want to experience that again.”

Since that year East Hall has finished runner-up twice before getting back into the winners circle last season with a victory against North Hall, the team that had knocked them out of the first round two years prior.

Now the Vikings are looking to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2006-2007.

“We don’t shy away from the fact that this is something we want to win,” Dix said. “It’s a great tournament to compete in and the atmosphere is tremendous.”

East Hall has won more times since the tournaments inception in 1960 then any other program, with 23 wins. Since 1994, the Vikings boys have won 14 of 17.

The Lady Vikings are the most successful girls team at Lanierland historically, with 16 wins.

Another win is one of the goals that East Hall senior Jasmine Jenkins said that she once to accomplish before leaving for college.

Like the boys, the Lady Vikings, have a title to defend this year as both teams open at home. Monday and Tuesday will be at East Hall, while games Wednesday and Thursday are at Johnson.

The girls all-time titles for the tournament are much more spread out, with North Hall (11) close behind East Hall. Gainesville (8), South Hall/Johnson (8), West Hall (4), Flowery Branch (1) and Forsyth County (1) have all won titles. Forsyth County is the one and only school outside of Hall County to have won the tournament.

This year another team, the Jefferson Lady Dragons, will have a chance to make history when they open against No. 2 Chestatee, the defending tournament runner-ups.

For first-year Gainesville coach Brenda Hill-Gilmore, the tournament will be a chance to enjoy the atmosphere that she has missed for a number of years while coaching at the University of Georgia and at Winder-Barrow High. Now the East Hall grad and former Gainesville girls assistant coach gets to lead the Lady Red Elephants in the tournament opener, starting at 9 a.m. on Monday against Flowery Branch.

“It’s been so long, but I still remember the excitement that it brought and the passion that it has in the community,” said Hill-Gilmore, who won a few Lanierland titles under now Lakeview boys coach Seth Vining in the late 80s and early 90s. “I remember playing in high school, and it seemed like everybody in Hall County was at the games.”

Her senior forward, Rebecca Webster, knows the excitement of being on the court, including being witness to a tournament title in 2008.

“The competitive atmosphere is definitely the best part,” Webster said.

The Gainesville girls open the first day, and the defending champion Lady Vikings are the final girls team to tip-off, at 6:30 p.m.

The East Hall girls open against No. 8 Johnson and the boys open with Chestatee.

For the Vikings to win another title, they will not only have to go through Chestatee and the Flowery Branch, West Hall winner, but they could find themselves once again facing North Hall, a program which has only one six tournaments, but two in the last five years. This year the Trojans have three players scoring in double figures and a fourth averaging just under.

The two teams have played each other for the championship the past two years running.

“We’ve crossed paths a few times the last couple of years,” said North Hall coach Benjie Wood, whose team defeated East Hall at home earlier this season. “But right now we’re just thinking about Lakeview.”

The Trojans open against No. 7 Lakeview, one of the programs that has yet to win a tournament title.

The Lions aren’t alone. In 50 years of competition, just four programs have won all of the boys titles; East Hall (23), Gainesville (17), North Hall (6) and South Hall/Johnson (3).

None of those teams are taking their past success for granted, especially a team like Gainesville, whose opening round game against Johnson at 1:30 p.m. has the chance to go down to the wire.

“It’ll be a challenge because Johnson is very good,” Red Elephants coach Todd Cottrell said. “They have more than just (leading scorer) Matt Hollis.”

And even though it doesn’t mean anything as far as region play, its importance cannot be overstated for the local teams.

“Lanierland’s about bragging rights, it’s the tournament where everyone in the county comes out,” said Wood, who also uses it as preparation for region play. “We approach it just like we do the region tournament.”

The region tournament may mean more as far as reaching the postseason, but Lanierland is always a high priority.