Schedules Releases, Work Amps Up for NMBA Squads
The schedules are out.
Let the games begin...almost.
Three Northside Minor Basketball Association teams will battle for Basketball New Brunswick banners. Two of those teams will be in the hunt to carry association colours into the Eastern Canadian under-13 championship set for Fredericton in late June.
Tall orders, indeed, but the NMBA is certainly in the mix in boys' and girls' divisions.
The boys' Tier I team will have the chance to stay in Fredericton for its BNB tournament. Fredericton YCBC Capitals are the host team and the tournament will be held at the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium on the campus of the University of New Brunswick.
The Lions join the host Capitals, Kennebecasis Valley Selects, Miramichi Pulamoo, Moncton and River Valley at the two-division event.
The top two teams in each division will advance to crossover semifinals.
NMBA opens the tournament against the host Caps at 10 a.m. and then faces Kennebecasis Valley at 1 p.m. The Lions are 1-0 against YCBC this season. The crossovers will follow on Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m.
The boys' Tier II team, which is not eligible to compete at the Eastern Canadian tournament because there are players from the NMBA and YCBC combined, will be in Canterbury. The Lions and host Trojans will face the East Saint John Thunder, Florenceville, Fundy of St. George and Woodstock.
The girls' are in Tier I and will be focusing on a trip to the Easterns while playing at Kennebecasis Valley High School in Quispamsis.
NMBA joins the host Selects, East Saint John Thunder, Riverview Royals, Sussex Classics and Woodstock Thunder.
The Lions have beaten Woodstock and Riverview in games this year. They have also lost to the Royals and East Saint John.
NMBA enters play ranked fifth. It will open at 11:30 a.m. against the host Selects from KVBA and then meet Riverview at 5:30 p.m.
The top two teams in each Tier I classification will advance to the Eastern Canadians.
The Tier II girls is at Grand Bay-Westfield with host River Valley Rush welcoming Fundy, Saint John Irish, Miramichi Tommies, Moncton Hawks and St. Stephen Bobcats. The Lions have defeated the Rush, Fundy and Irish this season.
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