With the help of a mission team from First Baptist Church in Georgetown, TX Graffiti 2 hosted our first 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on Saturday, May 5. Thirteen teams participated in a double elimination bracket. Numerous connections were made and plans are already in the works to continue and expand this ministry.
David and Goliath
Due to a lack of early registrants, Graffiti 2 expanded the age range of the tournament from young adults only to middle school and high school students as well. One young adult team (the Celtics) used this to their advantage. They were the oldest team and played with very little mercy. Their method of play was intimidating and “dirty” at times. Nevertheless, they had little competition in progressing through the bracket.
Another team (Young OKC) had little competition progressing through the bracket as well. As stated in their name, they were young–all middle school students. Despite being young, they were admirably confident throughout the day. One student stated to me, “All we can do is try our best.” And that they did! They met their first real competition in a semi-final game against an older team. They played well and pulled out a victory.
The final championship game was between the Celtics (Goliath) and Young OKC (David). Now, by the name of this entry, you might guess the winner. I have to admit, most of us (if not all) were pulling for Young OKC. At the beginning of the game, there was even play back and forth. The Celtics didn’t hesitate to throw their weight around or trash talk their young counterparts. Young OKC kept focused on the game. They played with amazing heart! Young OKC managed to inch out a lead with the score being 14-13. The Celtics certainly felt the pressure and turned up the heat. The ball was in the hands of the lead player for Young OKC and the Celtics played him very tight–hardly giving him any room to move. After a couple of failed attempts to dribble by, this young man pulled up from a distance and shot. In a matter of milliseconds it seemed the whole crowd took a collective gasp and then together erupted in cheers when it went in.
First, second and third place received trophies. The Celtics gave one of their trophies to the young man with the game winning shot and declared him the MVP.
Young OKC–Champions
