3-on-3 tourney draws hundreds of hoopers

If you are a dyed-in-the-wool basketball fan, this may have made you think you had passed and gone to hoop heaven.

With 17 half-court basketball sites laid out from one end of an old runway to the other, the 2023 Wild Horse Shootout three-on-three tournament Saturday was a site for all to see and experience.

Despite a blazing sun, more than 340 basketball players from first graders up to those who participated in the men’s open division put on a show for several hundred spectators who were treated to nearly eight hours of quality basketball at the Amundsen Sports Complex adjacent to the Plains airport.

The competition was high end from the opening set of tip offs to the final division matchup. As the name implies, the tournament was a match-up of three players from each team on a half-size court. Games were played until one team scored 21 points, or 25 minutes had elapsed on the time clock.

Teams, which basically consisted of 4-5 players each, were guaranteed three games in the round-robin format, with the teams with the best records advancing to the trophy rounds.

The normal 10-foot high hoops were set at 8-feet for the little guys, but the competition was still hot and heavy.

Will Simmons, a volunteer referee from Missoula, said the tournament was good for many reasons.

“The competition among these teams is really good,” Simmons said before going over the 3-player rules with a group of elementary school age boys. “There are some really good people here and the backdrop for this tournament is amazing”.

Simmons said he had not seen any problems with the on-court temperatures as the thermometer climbed toward the upper 90s.

“I’m originally from Georgia,” Simmons said. “If you can’t see streams of heat coming off the asphalt, it ain’t really hot,” he joked.

Keeping watch of the tournament were volunteers from Clark Fork Valley Hospital who had an open-walled tent set up for shade and a place to treat any potential injuries.

“We haven’t had any serious injuries, just some scrapes and scratches,” said one of the CFVH volunteers.

Water was in abundance and volunteers made sure all had access to fluids throughout the day.

Ezra Epperly, a 6-10 former Kalispell high school player, was a participant on a men’s open division team.

He described the tournament as a good test and said the level of competition was high.

“We try to take it lightly,” Epperly said after winning a game that boosted his team’s record to 2-1. “It’s hot and heavy out their, everyone wants to win.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Thompson Falls junior to be Bryson LeCoure, who is one of the key players returning to both the Blue Hawks football and basketball teams this coming season.

“There’s some really hard play going on,” he said. “The competition is really good. It’s a good tournament and fun to be part of.”

LeCoure, who had a solid sophomore basketball season and is expected to play quarterback on the school’s football team this Fall, was playing with a team called Dunkin Ballz, and included local high school players Sam Burgess and Kaiden Robins. The team, which also featured several players from Stevensville, finished second in the boys 11-12 grade division.

“I really like how the format is and how they laid out these courts,” said Angus Trangmoe, a Stevensville High player who was teamed with LeCoure.

LeCoure said he used to live in Stevensville and was playing with several friends from his time living in that Missoula County town.

The event was also a fund-raiser for The Cancer Network of Sanders County via food concession sales.

Top finishers at the tournament were (in order of final standings):

Grades 1-2: Upstate Ballers, Junior Spartans, EBV 2034

Grades 3-4: Broncs, Chimney Builders, EBV 4th

Girls Grades 5-8: Desert Horse Minis, Bitterroot Ballerz, She Got Game

Boys Grades 5-6: Advanced Chimney Builders, Hoop Dreams, Spartans

Girls Grades 7-8: Coro 4, Miss Heat, Alley Oops

Boys Grades 7-8: Wolf Pirates, Shake n Bake, Broncs

Girls Grades 9-10: McGowan Grocery, Lady Devils

Boys Grades 9-10: RNG, Vikings, Bucket Squad

Girls Grades 11-12: BlueBerries, Butter, Elite Dream Team

Boys Grades 11-12: Donda Academy, Dunkin Ballz, Mimma’s Hoopers

Mens Open: Pikuni, X, Let Get It

Local players who participated included: Kara Christensen (Hot Springs); Max Hannum, Sam Burgess and Kaiden Robbins (both from Thompson Falls); and former Plains teacher and coach George Sherwood, who now lives in Ronan.

Tournament organizer Erika Swanson Lawyer said the tournament, which she estimated attracted around 700 players, coaches, parents and fans, lived up to its billing.