LIHU‘E — Although the temperature was hotter, the fans fewer and the referees’ slacks considerably shorter, the Kaua‘i High School and Island School gyms had the feeling of winter Thursday afternoon. The two gyms hosted a combined 13 games to
LIHU‘E — Although the temperature was hotter, the fans fewer and the referees’ slacks considerably shorter, the Kaua‘i High School and Island School gyms had the feeling of winter Thursday afternoon.
The two gyms hosted a combined 13 games to kick off the 4th annual Merv Lopes Hoops Classic.
Including Thursday, 57 games will be played over the four-day tournament with the teams playing in a round-robin type format to determine the seeded playoffs on Sunday.
The tournament is divided into four divisions. The DI Boys and the DI Girls divisions consist of players in 10th through 12 grade, while the D2 Boys and D2 Girls are players in eighth and ninth grade.
The tournament hosts many outer island teams along with Kaua‘i teams that are comprised of local area athletes — with many of the teams featuring a mixed assortment of KIF players.
In the first game played at Kaua‘i High School on Thursday, the Kaua‘i Ballers took on CitySide from O‘ahu. In the first half of the game CitySide took a healthy lead, but the appeal to the local crowd was seeing KIF players who battled each other all season long working together on the same team. A first half highlight was Island School’s Lauren and Joy Claypoole pulling down rebounds and running the point while Kapa‘a’s Raquelle Matayoshi netted eight points for the Ballers.
The Merv Lopes Kaua‘i Hoops Classic continues today with games beginning at 2 p.m. at Island School and 3 p.m. at Kaua‘i High School.
For a complete list of teams, schedule and information about the tournament visit www.tcb808.com.
