The annual Dick Hotch Memorial Basketball Tournament runs through Sunday, March 6, with an expected six-team men’s field, plus one Juneau team making the trip to challenge Haines women on the court.
The competition starts 6 p.m. tonight (Thursday, March 3) at the Haines School. Games begin at noon on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Three-point and free-throw contests are set for 9 a.m. Sunday.
Tournament organizer Stuart DeWitt said the six men’s teams are from Haines, Klukwan, Juneau and Whitehorse.
With a Haines women’s squad preparing for this month’s Gold Medal Basketball Tournament in Juneau, the Hotch tournament recently invited women’s teams to compete. One Juneau group committed to attending the tournament, which also drew some interest from Skagway and Whitehorse women.
The Friday, Saturday and Sunday match-ups with Juneau will be the first opportunity for the Gold Medal women’s roster to compete on the same team, rather than being split among two squads like at weekly league games.
The men’s championship game is 1 p.m. Sunday. A Juneau-imported Haines Merchants team spearheaded by Haines resident Bryan Combs won last year’s competition, besting Whitehorse 74-68 in the finale. The Klukwan Chilkats finished third.