Ronan 3-on-3 stays strong
<p>Zach Camel (right) blocks Jimmy Michel's (left) shot during the Men's Open division championship game at the Pioneer Days "Jam"boree on Saturday.</p>
RONAN — Yet again at the Pioneer Days 3-on-3 “Jam”boree, Desert Horse rode off into the sunset victorious.
Actually, the local 3-on-3 powerhouse won three of the 12 divisions at the 18th annual tournament.
Isaac Camel, Zach Camel, Pius TakesHorse and Howard Walker stole the show in the Men’s Open division time.
“It’s still fun to see a bunch of people playing from around the res,” Zach Camel said.
His Desert Horse squad has won its division five consecutive years, but the Arlee graduate enjoys the target on his back.
“It’s fun seeing people try to stack their teams to beat us,” said Camel, who will play for his father Zachary at Salish Kootenai College next season.
Contingents of Desert Horse also took first in the Coed and Girls 9th-10th grade divisions.
Saturday’s edition of the “Jam”boree featured 85 teams in all. That was a bit short from the 100 entries Mission Valley 3-on-3 coordinator Steve Woll was hoping for.
“There’s a lot going on with the fair and camps and [the Flathead Lake] 3-on-3 last weekend,” Woll said.
The Ronan basketball coach has been involved in organizing the tournament for each of its 18 years. He said he is satisfied with the event’s longevity.
“We’ve got a good following,” Woll said. “We see a lot of the same faces.”
Pioneer Days 3-on-3 “Jam”boree Results
Girls 3rd-4th Grades
1. Morning Stars, 2. Dynamite, 3. Impossibulls.
Girls 5th-6th Grades
1. Pink Storm, 2. Little Natives.
Girls 7th-8th Grades
1. Lady Dream Team, 2. Arlee Flight, 3. Bullets.
Girls 9th-10th Grades
1. Desert Horse, 2. Lady Broncs, 3. East West Connection.
Girls 11th-Women’s Open
1. Rezur-urction, 2. Desert Horse, 3. CJRT
Coed
1. Desert Horse, 2. Flathead Express, 3. Get N It.
Boys 5th-6th Grades
1. 2Med, 2. Pirates, 3. Blackfeet Express.
Boys 7th-8th Grades
1. Ronan Chiefs, 2. The Fighting Artichokes, 3. Glacier Rage.
Boys 9th-10th Grades
1. Pikuni Thunderstorm, 2. Blackfeet Extreme, 3. Mt Ballers.
Boys 11th-12th Grades
1. Death at the Net, 2. Ibacka Flocka Flame, 3. Big Hoss and the Boys.
Men’s Open
1. Desert Horse, 2. Tire Depot, 3. Smoking Trees and Strokin 3’s.
Men’s 6-1 & Under
1. 406, 2. Red Dragons, 3. IDK.