Hoop fest draws hundreds of ballers to Plains

If you are an ardent basketball fan who wandered up Montana 200 near the Plains Airport, you most likely did a double-take or pinched yourself to make sure the site wasn’t a dream.

What your eyes would have gazed upon was a roundball fan’s dream come true...the 2024 Wildhorse Sports Association’s Three-on-Three Shootout hoop fest, a gathering of 73 teams and nearly 300 players, along with hundreds of fans from throughout the area. 

During day-long tournament, a substantial financial boost was raised to keep the site of the event, the Amundson Sports Complex, one of the best outdoor sports venues in the region. 

The gathering, held in conjunction with Mission Valley 3 on 3, was, by all accounts, a success, even when it comes to weather. 

“This year was much more cooperative weather-wise,” said event spokesperson Erika Swanson Lawyer. “Part of the reason we moved it to June was it because it was warm, but not oppressive or dangerous as it can be like it was last year in July”. 

Games during the event were won by the team which scored 21 points first (one point for each basket) or whoever was ahead after 25 minutes of play. Contests that ended in a tie were settled by free throws. 

Several brackets, based on age, ability, etc., were set up for the double-elimination, round-robin format. 

Prizes were awarded for the winners.  A total of $4,500 dollars was raised by the event, down from the just under $8,000 raised last year, Lawyer said.  Much of that discrepancy was due to a change in the way business donations were solicited. 

“All of the proceeds raised go back into Amundson Sports Complex for whatever we are planning to improve or add”, said Lawyer, who has been involved with the event since 2016.   

Volunteers play a large role in the event’s success, she added. 

“This year I was really worried about getting enough referees,” Lawyer said. “But then we had lots of locals came out and we had extra help on hand”. 

Wilson Martinson, a resident of the Whitefish area, said this was his second year coming to the event as a spectator. 

“I had a great time last year despite how hot it was,” he said. “This is affordable public entertainment at its best.  And having that food truck here was a good thing also”. 

Martinson was referring to Smoke King, a portable BBQ business owned by Darin and Brie King of Paradise.  Drinks were provided by the Plains Pickelball Association. 

Overall, it was a large community effort, including an invaluable helping hand from the Mission 3 on 3 organization that made it a success, Lawyer said. 

“This (combined effort with Mission) has turned into a great partnership from our perspective,” she said. “They have 30 years' experience bracketing and running a tight ship to keep the games progressing on time. There is no way we could have pulled this off without them”. 

The courts were set up on the old, unused runway parallel to the Plains airport.  And in what has become a tradition, competitors are doused with water by Plains Rural Fire Department as the afternoon temperatures rose. 

“Community events like this don’t happen without a lot of community help and support,” Lawyer concluded. “I am so thankful for so many people who stepped up and put up the new permanent hoops, those who show up and sweep off the courts, paint lines on the courts and take garbage to the dump when the event is over.  

“This is our eighth year, and it is so great to see the familiar faces with the mix of new teams participating each year”. 

    Contestants in one of the junior divisions fight hard for a loose ball during this year's Wildhorse Shootout 3 on 3 basketball tournament at Amundson Sports Complex in Plains. A total of 73 teams and nearly 300 players took part in the event this past Saturday. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

    Hard fought defense was a big part of this year's Wildhorse 3 on 3 basketball tournament this past Saturday in Plains. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)