HERMANSVILLE — The 86th Gold Medal Classic is approaching the first weekend of the historic independent basketball tournament.

That means Class B will take center stage.

The opening game of the double-elimination division will take place at 8 p.m. Friday. 3’s Company of Escanaba takes on the MTU Club team of Houghton in the opening game.

The MTU squad is made up of students who participate in intramural competition at Michigan Tech.

Game two of Class B will tip off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with U.P. Rehab of Marquette taking on LL3J of Carney.

U.P. Rehab is captained by former Finlandia cager and Forest Park alum Austin Carlson.

Joining Carlson on the U.P. Rehab roster are former Northern Michigan University player Spencer Huss and former Gladstone All-Upper Peninsula player Reece Castor,.

They are joined by former Finlandia and Lakeland players.

The LL3J roster includes a long list of U.P. basketball standouts — Carney-Nadeau’s Jacob and Mike Polfus, Norway’s Joey Pontbriand and Menominee grad and current Peshtigo, Wis., boys basketball coach Jason Boucher.

Iron Mountain graduates Marcus and Kyle Johnson are also on the LL3J squad and are joined by former NMU standout and Mid Peninsula graduate Brett Branstrom.

Six-foot-10 Vejas Grazulis rounds out the LL3J roster. Grazulis, a Marquette Senior High School alum played collegiately at NMU and Ferris St University.

In the 11 a.m. Class B game, Shamco of Iron River will take on Bloniarz Farms of Perronville, who have won Class B the last nine tournaments. Team captain Justin Bloniarz, a Bark River-Harris alum, as well as North Central 1,000-point club member Bryce Bilski have been on the Perronville team since they captured their first title in 2015.

“We’re a bunch of guys getting together and having fun playing basketball,” Bloniarz said in a phone interview on Tuesday night.

“It’s really cool that we’re going for 10 in a row. Hopefully we can bring my Grandma (Eleanor Bloniarz) another trophy,” Bloniarz added. “To win nine championships in row in that gym, with the unique atmosphere the community club has, I would have never thought this could happen.”

Justin’s grandparents, Eleanor and the late John Bloniarz, now continued by Justin’s father, Dean, have been the team sponsor since 2015. The 2020 Gold Medal Classic was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining Bloniarz and Bilski on the farmers roster is Bilski’s younger brother and fellow former NC standout Dawson Bilski. David Ashby of Bark River-Harris, Adam Nolde of Menominee, Kenya Oas of Munising, Travis Vincent of North Central and Dustin Brancheau of Ishpeming round out the Bloniarz Farms squad.

Shamco could be considered as an Iron County all-star team, with West Iron and Forest Park alumni up and down the roster. Ryan Shamion is joined by fellow Wykons Dave and Caden Pellizzer, as well as 85th Gold Medal Classic 40 and Over Division MVP Jeremy Johnson.

Forest Park standouts Bryan LaChapelle Jr. and Daniel Nocerini, as well as former Trojans boys basketball coach Kurt Lehmann are also on the the Shamco roster.

The 2 p.m. Class B tilt will be between Lee’s Greenery of Powers and Team Elevated of Republic. Team Elevated features a former NBA D League player with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Anthony Moody Jr.

Moody, who previously played in the Gold Medal Classic, hails from Appleton, Wis., and is an Appleton West High School graduate. Moody also played professionally in Canada and overseas. He was a Division II All-American at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Class B, as well as the Junior High Boys and Girls divisions round robin, which begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, continue through Sunday with the Class B championship game scheduled for 4 p.m.