Hoopfest draws more than 300 participants

They came in droves to the annual 3-on-3 classic, and with the exception of a few bad apples, everything seemed to go smoothly as Hoopfest organizers wrapped up another weekend which featured hundreds of basketball players of all ages.

Polson police chief Doug Chase said he was pleased with the outcome of this year's Hoopfest, after his department issued 38 citations over the weekend, most for minor infractions and less than the 45 issued last year, despite a higher participation rate this year.

The annual event attracted more than 300 participants from around Montana and the Northwest, and although there were some headaches, most of the law enforcement issues were minor, Chase said.

Of the 38 citations issued, 10 of them were for Minor in Possession, four were for obstructing a peace officer, 10 were for disorderly conduct, two were for misdemeanor assault and the rest were for more minor issues, Chase said. He said there were two DUIs issued, but one of them was to a minor for having a BAC of .02, commonly referred to as a "baby DUI."

"We encountered numerous youth, and we did have some alcohol-related problems. But a number of the youth we tested for intoxication were found to not have consumed anything, even though they were in close proximity to the alcohol," Chase said.

Chase said it was an improvement over last year, when the department issued about 45 citations to a smaller number of participants.

He said, for the most part, the teens and 20-somethings who converged on Polson this year were very cooperative. He also credited the Polson ambulance service, Sheriff's office and Tribal police with providing effective response and back-up whenever needed.

"All in all it was a successful event considering all the people it brought to the community, and all of the people outside of Lake County who participated," Chase said. "We feel it went very well."

Winners of the 2006 Hoopfest are as follows:

Youth - Male - 5-6

1st Blue Devils

2nd Yellowjackets

3rd Three Small One Tall

Youth - Female - 5-6

1st Zagalicious

2nd Lolo Darlings

3rd Tigers

Youth - Male - 7-8

Blue Rebels

Wildcats

Somers Mustangs

Youth - Female 7-8

Lady Yellowjackets

Missoula Hoopsters

Chickadees

Youth - Male 9-10

Speagles

Willow Creek Riders

Beaver Chiefs

Youth - Female 9-10

Team Joe

Tommy's Girls

Explosion

Youth - Male 11-12

Sentinel

Blackfeet Boys

Youth - Female 11-12

Hoop of '07

Bling Bling

Breakers

Female - Open "A"

KipCo Force

Waders

Community Banks

Female - Open "B"

Hoolegans

Hustle & Flow

Two Rivers Auto Body

Co-Ed

The Troopers

Valley Bank

4-Korners

Open Male Elite

Locals

Railers

Killians Brown Ferch

Adult Male Recreational

River Kings

Glacier Bank

Hoop School

35 & Over

Shaplow Law Firm

Desert Horse

Two & Out

6'1 & Under Elite

Parrentt

Team Team

4-Korners

6'1 & Under Recreational

Cardinal Health

The Tonks

Silver Bullets

3-Point Shoot Female

Skyla Haynes

3-Point Shoot Male

Zachery Pitts, both Friday and Saturday

Slam Dunk Contest 6' 1" & Under

Zachery Pitts in preliminaries Friday and Devon Timpson on Saturday

Slam Dunk Contest 6' 1 and Over

Eric Allen Friday in preliminaries, Chris Mossbaucher on Saturday