More than 20 youth basketball teams are expected at the annual Triple Threat Tournament this weekend at the Haines School.
“We do this tournament because of the kids,” said Sarah Swinton, tournament director. “The kids deserve to have games at home and to show off to the community and their parents how well they’ve done during basketball. It’s all about the kids; they need to have their time to shine.”
She said Triple Threat will draw players from Haines, Juneau, Skagway and Whitehorse. Players range from fourth grade through high school.
Games will open 2:15 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and are scheduled to run past 9 p.m. both days. The finals on Sunday have a 9 a.m. start, followed by a 1 p.m. awards ceremony.
The tournament has “A,” “B” and “C” divisions, for boys and girls.
“There are 25 teams that are going to be in the tournament, and 47 total games will be played over the weekend,” Swinton said. “Each team will play two games before bracketing, and then it depends on their record from then on.”
The youngest Triple Threat teams are in fourth grade, she said. The “A” squads will include non-varsity high school teams from Haines and Whitehorse, plus eighth-graders from Juneau.
Triple Threat is free for spectators, and concessions will be served. A $7 spaghetti dinner is set for 5-7 p.m. Saturday.
Swinton said the tournament still is in need of volunteers, especially referees. For more information, call 766-2441.