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Boundary County basketball players
participate (and win) in Spokane hoopfest |
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July 7, 2015 |
by McKenzie MacDonald
It took a Boundary County team to win the
championship in their bracket at a sweltering
Hoopfest this year.
During the last weekend in June, on June 27 and
28, 2015, over 27,000 basketball players
gathered in the crowded streets of downtown
Spokane, Washington to participate in the annual
Spokane Hoopfest, the world’s largest 3-on-3
basketball tournament. While these players may
have expected grueling match-ups, crowded
sidewalks and a Gatorade booth around every
corner, they may not have expected
record-breaking temperatures.
According to a Facebook post by KXLY News
meteorologist Kris Crocker, the temperature
reached 105 degrees in Spokane by 3:00 p.m. on
Sunday, June 28, making it the hottest Hoopfest
in history, and the hottest day for Spokane in
over 50 years.
What does Hoopfest have to do with Bonners
Ferry? This tournament attracts teams from all
across the country, and numerous teams from our
community participate every year. This year was
no different. One Boundary County team, the
Alcoholigans, even brought home the coveted
championship t-shirt.
The Alcoholigans (Kerstin Oxford, Abby
Skeen, Jasmine Hill and Kassy Skeen) played a
total of eight games in the tournament. After
losing their first match-up against a team
called Four from the Bench, their route to the
championship became much longer. After winning
their next two games on Saturday, they returned
for more on Sunday which proved to be more
challenging still. According to team member
Kerstin Oxford, Abby Skeen was injured in the
team’s first game on Sunday. Kerstin said the
broiling temperatures made the weekend
difficult, but having to play five more games
with only three people was the hardest part.
However, after playing the same team
back-to-back on Sunday afternoon, the
Alcoholigans won their bracket. When asked what
the best part of Hoopfest weekend was, Kerstin
responded with one word, “Winning.”
(Story continues below this photo)
Another local team that participated in Hoopfest
was the Klay Makers. This team featured
four former Badger basketball players – Josh
Pluid, Evan Moe, Garrett Skeen and Bradley
Clausen. The Klay Makers played four games total
in the ridiculous heat. After losing their first
two games on Saturday, they returned on Sunday
to play in the Consolation bracket. They won
their first game in that bracket, but lost their
final game two hours later.
While there was a lot of competition out there,
team member Josh Pluid believes that his team’s
difficulties came from another source. “The
hardest team we played . . . easily ourselves,”
he said. “From being out of shape to our lack of
practice, we made plenty of mistakes to put
ourselves out of games.” For this reason, Josh
thinks it may take him a few years before he is
up to the challenge again.
While the match-ups were tough for the Klay
Makers, Josh (and surely almost everyone
else) thought the hardest part of the weekend
was “enduring the weather.” “The relentless heat
made it hard to stay hydrated and cool,” he
said. “We drank liters of water before it even
hit noon.”
The After Burners was another team from
Boundary County. This team included Hayden
Stockton, Anthony Cooper, Dalin Foster, and
Spencer Eby. This team made a good showing
at the tournament. Although they lost
their first game, they went on to win their next
three games before sustaining their second loss
to the PF Rebels.
After all the match-ups were finished on Sunday,
June 28, the basketball hoops were collapsed,
the court boundaries were lifted from the
streets, and downtown Spokane returned to its
usual activities, until next year, of course.
Hopefully Hoopfest 2016 will provide for more
bearable temperatures for both players and
spectators.
(Editor's Note: If anyone is aware of
any other Hoopfest 2015 teams from Boundary
County, please let us know, we would like to
recognize them all).
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