Graham Memorial Presbyterian will host church league tournament
Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church will host the Church League Youth Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 10, beginning at 9 a.m., in the church’s gymnasium.
The tournament features co-ed youth teams ages 10-under and 15-under vying for the league championship.
While the tournament has been played each year at different churches in the area, Graham Memorial is hosting the tournament for the first time.
“The thinking is that Graham Memorial Presbyterian, which does not have a youth team in the league, presents a neutral site for the tournament,” said Regan Hill, one of the league organizers. “It was a good opportunity for us to reach out and make sure that all of the area churches are involved if they choose to do so.”
Graham Memorial Pastor Larry Mitchell said hosting the tournament is a great opportunity for his church and its members.
“We have already served as the host gym for the Delta 8 Youth Basketball League games and now we have the opportunity to host this tournament,” Mitchell said. “We think it’s great and we have a number of volunteers who are more than ready to make Saturday’s event a great time for everyone involved.”
Admission to the tournament is free, and a fully operational concession area will be available throughout the tournament.
Mitchell said all of the money raised through the concessions will help fund the church Soup Kitchen, held each Monday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
“We had a concession area during the Delta 8 youth games,” Mitchell said, “And we learned a great deal by doing so. The biggest thing we learned was that the whole dill pickles are the absolute favorite for the youths. We ran out of pickles the first time. That won’t be the case on Saturday. We will have plenty of pickles.”
The tournament begins at 9 a.m. with a game for the younger kids, ages seven and younger, when Beck Spur Baptist and First Baptist Church of Forrest City square off in a bonus game.
The regular single elimination style tournament bracket games will begin at 10 a.m. when the Forrest City First Baptist and Calvary Christian 10-under teams take the floor. At 11 a.m., Forrest City First Baptist and Beck Spur Baptist will play a 15-under game, followed by another 10 under game at noon between First United Methodist of Forrest City and Beck Spur Baptist.
Caldwell First Baptist and First United Methodist will play a 15-under game at 1 p.m.
The 10-under championship game will be played at 2 p.m., while the 15-under championship game will be played at 3 p.m.
Lo Hardrick will sing the National Anthem prior to the 10 a.m. tournament game.
Each game will consist of two, 16-minute halves using a running clock, which will stop only for free throws.
