by Roberta Aiken--Seven teams participated in the 6th annual Nathan Young Basketball Tournament on Friday evening and all day Saturday. With approximately 14 games to be played, there were the Skidegate Juniors, Intermediates, Seniors and Masters and Old Massett Juniors, Intermediates and Seniors all battling it out for the championship.
The tournament is hosted jointly by the Skidegate Recreation Program and the family of the late Nathan Young. Nathan was highly respected by all teams as he was a life-long dedicated fan of the game. Each year since his passing, this tournament has been held in his honour. The Skidegate Recreation Program organizes the games and the family of Nathan Young puts together all the great food in the concession - donating back to the top 3 teams cash prizes.
There was great sportsmanship shown by all players. The final match was between the Old Massett Senior Guardians (last years champs) and Skidegate Intermediate Saints. Skidegate had to come through the back door Saturday and played five games that day. With a bench of only two spares, the young squad from Skidegate put up a big fight against the big team from Old Massett. Skidegate took second place with a 4 point deficit in the final score.
Top 3 teams :
Old Massett Senior Guardians - Champions
Skidegate Intermediate Saints - 2nd
Skidegate Senior Saints - 3rd
Tournament All stars:
Richard Aiken - Skidegate Masters
Cole Edinger - Skidegate Juniors
Aaron Hans - Skidegate Seniors
Tyler York - Skidegate Intermediates
Abe Brown - Old Massett Senior Guardians
Tournaments Most Valuable Player - Trevor Russ - Old Massett Senior Guardians
Great tournament to all, see you all next at the Christmas Classic in Old Massett.
Skidegate Rec thanks all the referees, door people, score keepers, players, Pete Thompson-First Aid, The family of Nathan Young and fans, for coming out and supporting the tournament.