24
S moke S ignals
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
Close call
Powwow basketball tournament rebounds with 8 teams
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
This year’s annual Grand Ronde
Contest Powwow 3-on-3 Basketball
Tournament turned out to be a fam-
ily affair for the Bruckners.
The high school-age division win-
ner was a team made up of Tribal
members Brodey Bruckner, Reece
Ebensteiner, Anthony Simmons
and Leonard Logan called The
Goof Balls. The team was coached
by Brady Bruckner and one of the
tournament referees was Brandon
Bruckner. Brother Brent Bruckner
was in the audience cheering on his
brothers along with their parents,
Jimmer and Melody.
This year’s tournament featured
four high school teams and four
middle school teams in action.
The Bruckner brothers were
participating in the powwow tour-
nament fresh off a third-place inish
in the 6-foot and Under division at
this year’s annual Hoopla 3-on-3
Tournament held in Salem in early
August.
Hoopla XVIII, held in front of the
State Capitol each year, is the larg-
est 3-on-3 street basketball tourna-
ment in Oregon and the Bruckners
competed against 43 other teams
in inishing third overall in their
division.
The powwow tournament began
with round-robin play on Friday
night to help determine the seeding
for the tournament bracket.
The Goof Balls won their first
game against the Red Team 20-3.
The win put them into the Satur-
day morning bracket against The
Treys featuring Tribal member
True Gibbons. The Goof Balls won
20-8 before facing Tribal member
Brylynn Luey and The North in the
championship game.
The Goof Balls won the champi-
onship game 20-10.
Coach Bruckner said his team
really picked up its defense in the
championship game and on offense
they looked for mismatches.
“It was a team defense,” said
Brady. “What I noticed was we
really stepped up our defense in
that last game and we made them
work harder. I just told them to
pick and roll and to look for back
door passes.”
Ebensteiner said it was hot on
Friday for the irst game, but that
they played smart on Saturday
morning and didn’t let the heat get
to them.
“We’re all pretty experienced ball
players so we subbed out when we
needed it,” said Ebensteiner.
In the middle school bracket, the
Grand Swoosh team, led by Tribal
member Dominik Briant, won the
tournament championship.
Grand Swoosh, coached by Tribal
member Nick LaBonte, won its irst
game against The Hoopers 20-13
and then faced off against Tribal
member Josh Henry and The Js in
the second game. Grand Swoosh
defeated The Js 12-2.
Grand Swoosh had a rematch
in the championship game when
they once again faced The Hoopers
on Saturday morning. Briant and
Grand Swoosh won the champion-
ship game 16-12.
Tribal member Isaiah Holmes
won the tournament’s three-point
shooting contest when he made
10 three-pointers in one minute.
Simmons and Logan tied for sec-
ond place in the three-point con-
test when they each made nine
three-pointers in the time limit.
“It just worked out great,” said
tournament director and Recre-
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Brodey Bruckner plays in the championship high school game of the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Native Youth 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
held near Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, Aug. 20. Bruckner’s team, The
Goof Balls, beat The North for the high school championship title.
ation Coordinator Harris Reibach.
“A lot of people showed up. A lot of
good people from the community
came out and supported us. It was
an awesome turnout. It all came
together.”
Early in the week it looked like
the tournament might not hap-
pen, but Reibach went to
work and got the teams
necessary for a tourna-
ment. He said he was
supported in his efforts
by his supervisor Tyson
Mercier.
Mercier is the Tribe’s
Facilities Maintenance
supervisor and he said
working on things like
recreation activities and
basketball tournaments
is new to his depart-
ment, but that Reibach
has made the transition
easy with his calm de-
meanor and willingness
to work hard at his re-
sponsibilities.
“Finding Harris and
bringing him in was
lucky,” said Mercier. “Everybody
in this community loves his outlook
on life. He’s a great self-starter. He
communicates with me daily and he
takes pride in his work.”
Mercier said people tell him the
gym and the weight room have
never looked better and that once
the support came through that they
needed to make the tournament
happen, Reibach took it from there.
Reibach, always humble, said he
needed to thank Tribal Council,
General Manager Dave Fullerton,
Mercier, LaBonte, the Bruckners,
Kate Rankin, Matt Zimbrick, Al-
ton Butler, Marion Mercier, Candi
Buswell, Anthony Henry, Marcus
Gibbons and Tim Barry for “sup-
porting the event and for making
it possible.” n
Grand Swoosh’s Dominik Briant dribbles around a Hoopers
defender during the middle school championship game of the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Native Youth 3-on-3 Basketball
Tournament held near Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, Aug.
20. Grand Swoosh won the game.