Apparently, the long-standing boys basketball rivalry between Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool was just too small for conventional gymnasiums to hold. When the defending Section III Class AA champion Northstars and Warriors collide on Dec. 12, they will do so in the Carrier Dome as part of the first-ever showcase of Section III high school talent in the Dome’s 30-year history. It’s all part of the inaugural Scholastic Holiday Tip-Off Classic, a day-long celebration of basketball that features four games and a good portion of the area’s best players. The CNS-Liverpool showdown is at 7 p.m., the last of the four games. It starts at 1 p.m. with Skaneateles playing Bishop Ludden, continues with CBA facing Fowler and includes three-time defending state Class A champion Jamesville-DeWitt meeting Elmira Southside. This reconnects Syracuse University with the local high-school scene. Up until 2009, the Section III championships were always staged at Manley Field House, but that ended after Manley was refurbished into SU’s football indoor practice facility. Both the Northstars, with Zach Coleman, Josh Williams and Elliott Boyce, and the Warriors, with Connor Rogers on hand, return key players from 2009-10, only adding to the anticipation. This is a non-league game – the league game won’t take place until Feb. 18, the regular-season finale at Liverpool.