CARLYLE - Carlyle hosts its 2023 Summer Open Basketball Tournament with eight teams attending from various communities.
Gordon F Kells High School was host to the tournament on May 20 and 21. Along with the Carlyle teams, participants between the ages of 15 and 40 travelled from Moosomin, Kipling, Weyburn, Oxbow, Estevan and Virden, Man.
It was a nail-biting finish with the Carlyle Bombers beating Virden 73-64 in double overtime.
Elmer Jove, coach and co-ordinator for Carlyle teams 1 & 2, moved from Manila to Edmonton in 2009 and relocated to Carlyle in 2012. Elmer started the basketball tournaments as a way to build up community and connect Filipinos together. This is the first year that it was mixed with Canadians participating along with the Filipinos.
JD Alvarez and his father Danny co-organized the Carlyle teams with Jove keeping the tournament running smoothly. The weekend was extra special as it was postponed for several years due to the pandemic.
James Bautista from Carlyle was given the most valuable player award and five mythical awards were handed out: Mark Cuevas (Virden), Clark Cabiluna (Estevan), Heaven Cabiluna (Estevan), Earl Pineda (Weyburn) and James Bautista (Carlyle).
Every Sunday at 6 p.m. there is an open invite for any male over the age of 15 to come play basketball at the school.
