A trio of Fort Frances boys continued their winning ways on the basketball court when they took the Booster Club 3-on-3 tournament by storm on July 4 over in International Falls.
Morgan Anderson, Jeremy Strain, and Travis Stromness went undefeated, knocking off three other teams in the double elimination tournament a month after going unbeaten at the NBA 3-on-3 tournament in Winnipeg.
“We did pretty good,” said Anderson, though admitting the field was of “a little bit lower class” than the competition they saw back in June.
“The teams in Winnipeg, they’re a little bit harder and just worked as a team . . . [with] better defence.”
The showdown drew as many Canadian teams as ones from the Falls, with a rival trio of fellow Fort High hoopsters giving the victors their tightest match of the tournament—a still lopsided 20-13 win.
Against two American teams, Anderson and his teammates fashioned 20-12 and 20-10 victories.
They each received a trophy for their efforts, as well as some free movie passes and ice cream.
Anderson agreed the strong summer the three Muskie hoopsters have had may add some pressure to the high school team this coming season, but he doesn’t see that as a bad thing.
“Now we got all our five starters back, and we got a lot of good Grade 10s coming up, so we’ll have a good squad,” he predicted.
The tournaments are a good way to mix business and pleasure, Anderson said.
“Just trying to keep the rust off and just fun,” he remarked. “We enjoy ’em [the tournaments]. Fun getting out and seeing how good we are compared to other teams.”
Muskie coach Paul Noonan accompanied the trio to the Winnipeg tournament, but missed the one in the Falls last Wednesday because he had to work.
But the boys called him to tell him the good news afterwards.
They haven’t lost a game in 3-on-3 competition so far this summer. Anderson attributed that to how the chemistry between the boys and how their skills complement each other’s game.
“I think it’s because, me, I’m a shooter and Jeremy’s a driver and Strom’s a big man,” he explained. “We have all different aspects that we each are good at.”
If anything else comes along, the boys will be up for it—otherwise, they’re waiting to return to the hardwood at Fort High.
“I don’t know if there’s any more [tournaments] this summer, but next summer we’re trying to get in at least three or four more,” Anderson noted.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
