Prairie Premier Classic Tournament Hits The Courts May Long Weekend

Story and Photos By Robert Thomas

Moose Jaw is inundated with close to 700 basketball players from 66 teams plus families and fans as the sixth annual Prairie Premier Classic Basketball Tournament kicked off on Friday afternoon.

Pictured below is action from the Moose Jaw Ballers U17 team (in blue) versus the Regina North Stars (in black) on Friday afternoon.

The event sees teams from the prairie provinces converging on Moose Jaw from today (Friday) until Sunday with a total of 103 games taking place.

“We have a 66 team basketball tournament. Age ranges from U11 Boys to U17 Boys and then U13 to U17 Girls,” Rhona Johnson co-organizer of the long weekend tournament said.

“We have 11 local teams from the Moose Jaw Spartans, the Moose Jaw Ballers and the Moose Jaw Jam. Teams ranging from Winnipeg to Medicine Hat and from all over Saskatchewan.”

Johnson said there was about 750 players as well as their parents and others converging on Moose Jaw this weekend.

Asked if it was safe to say 1,500 people had converged Moose Jaw this weekend she replied “easily, I would put the total at more than that.”

**Trying To Make A Basket Under Strict Pressure**

Cost to attend the tournament is $15 for the weekend or $7 for a single day pass. Passes are available for purchase at the door.

The tournament is being held in four different venues - Central Collegiate, Peacock Collegiate, Riverview Collegiate and Sunningdale School.

**Setting Up Against Two Defenders Under The Basket**

The tournament is putting on by the Moose Jaw Spartans a local basketball club.

For people wanting to get their basketball fix there are for example 21 games tomorrow Saturday at Peacock Collegiate plus games at the three other venues.

Games tomorrow run from 8 am until 10 pm at Central Collegiate, Riverview Collegiate and Sunningdale School with the final game wrapping up at 11 pm at Peacock Collegiate.

“There’s a lot of basketball out there for everyone.”

Asked about the weather perhaps not being the best this weekend, especially in the evenings, Johnson agreed attending the tournament might well be the best place to be in order to beat the weather.

As an FYI the Spartans are one of three local clubs for basketball.

The Spartans this year have six teams in the club - a drop from the 11 teams before COVID - 19 pandemic struck.

“We are just trying to rebuild again.”

The Spartans hold tryouts in the early Spring with those making the teams participating in tournaments in numerous other communities.

The final score in the boys game we attended was Regina U17 North Stars 83 and the Moose Jaw U17 Ballers 40.