The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TEAMS participating in the 28th Father Marcian Peters Invitational Basketball Tournament will have a new format to compete in when the week-long event for primary and junior boys and girls as well as intermediate boys and senior girls gets underway at the Kendal Isaacs Gym today.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s staff, headed by tournament director Michael ‘Scooter’ Reid, has decided to showcase the various divisions on their own day of competition rather than mixing up all of the divisions at the same time.

“We are expecting a wonderful tournament with the different format this year,” said Oria Wood, who is assisting Reid. “Each day we are playing the different categories until we get down into the tournament. Rather than mixing up the schedule with junior girls, junior boys, intermediate boys and senior girls playing on the same day, we are playing the different categories on different days.”

The tournament is slated to begin 3pm today with only the senior girls.

On court one, the Temple Christian Suns will face the RM Bailey Pacers, followed by the Mt Carmel Cavaliers against the Charles W Saunders Cougars.

On court two, the CI Gibson Rattlers will take on the Queen’s College Comets, followed by the CR Walker Knights against the Teleos Cherubims.

The winners will return to square off against each other, while the losers will play among themselves.

Then all day on Saturday, the primary schools will be in action.

Games on tap are as follows:

10 am - Cleveland Eneas vs Carlton E Francis, Mt Carmel vs Albury Sayles and Hillcrest vs Christian Heritage

10:35 am - Freedom Academy vs Xavier Lower School, Woodcock Primary vs Queen’s College and Charles W Saunders vs Palmdale Primary

11:05 am - Teleos vs Columbus Primary, Mable Walker vs Our Lady’s and Temple Christian vs St Bede’s

11:40 am - St Thomas More vs Zion Academy, along with the losers from the earlier games

The remainder of the day, the primary boys will be in action before the final three games will feature the senior girls division.

And on Sunday, the action will pick up at noon with the intermediate boys division.

Here’s how they will stack up:

2 pm - Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins vs Charles Saunders Cougars, SC McPherson Sharks vs Westminster Diplomats and CV Bethel Stingrays vs Kingsway Academy Saints

2:35 pm - CV Bethel Stingrays vs Kingsway Academy Saints and Anatol Rodgers HO Nash Lions

3:05 pm - Hope Academy vs RM Bailey Pacers and CC Sweeting Cobras vs winner of an earlier game

3:40 pm - Queen’s College Comets vs CI Gibson Rattlers and CR Walker Knights vs winner of an earlier game.

The day will be completed with the winners playing each other, while the losers will square off against each other.

The cycle will continue on Monday and Tuesday before the Family Island teams will start playing on Wednesday. The tournament will wrap up on Friday.

“We’ve been getting good reviews from it because it’s giving the coaches and the fans an opportunity to concentrate on the different levels on particular days, rather than having it jumbled up and people don’t get to see certain teams played,” Wood said.

“We will have days where we are highlighting senior girls, primary boys and girls and then we are highlighting the intermediates and our juniors.”

Unfortunately, Wood said they have not been able to confirm the total number of teams participating because of a conflict with the examinations for the majority of the schools at the same time.

But Wood said they have decided not to host any games until after 3pm during the school days so as to allow the students to complete their school work.