Hundreds expected for MAYB tournament
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Get ready for an influx of athletes this weekend.
Starting Friday, tournaments for both basketball and softball tournaments will take place at Hillsboro's courts and ball diamonds.
One has been planned for quite a while, and the other was pushed to this weekend because of rain.
First up this weekend is the Mid- America Youth Basketball tournament, which starts Friday at noon.
Each year MAYB holds its early-June national tournament in central Kansas. And the organization, which is based in Newton, utilizes gymnasiums across the state for the games.
Tournaments will be held for both boys and girls, ranging from fourth-grade teams to eleventh- and twelfth-grade teams. Games for the ninth- and tenth-grade boys' bracket will be held in Marion County, according to local MAYB coordinator Steve Berg.
But Hillsboro's share of games this year will be cut in half because of construction on the Robert C. Brown gymnasium. Right now the district is expanding the main entrance to the gym to comply with state fire codes.
Instead of six gyms in use at one time, Hillsboro will have three, Berg said. That's one at Hillsboro Middle School, one at Tabor College, and one at the Tabor campus recreation center.
Ordinarily, three courts would be used at the Robert C. Brown gym, he said.
"With the construction a lot's changed," Berg said.
But plenty of teams will still head to Hillsboro. More than 100 teams have enrolled for the ninth- and tenth-grade boys tournament, and Berg estimates that 40 or 50 of them will play in Hillsboro at least once.
With eight to 12 players per team, plus coaches, family members, and friends tagging along, that's a lot of visitors coming to town.
"Every year this is one of the bigger days in Hillsboro," Berg said.
Games will run Friday afternoon through 10:30 p.m., Saturday all day to 10 p.m., and Sunday until 4:30 p.m. The championship game of the "B" bracket will be held at the Tabor gym, but this year the championship of the "A" bracket will take place at Bethel College.
Other area games are set for gyms in Marion, Goessel, Peabody, and Canton-Galva.
Fireball
If you're in a softball state of mind, make for the sports complex.
That's where you'll find the Hillsboro Fire Department's annual "Fireball" tournament, which starts Saturday morning at 9 and runs all day long.
The tournament was originally scheduled for April 19 but was postponed due to rain.
More than 10 teams will play in Saturday's bracket, according to Hillsboro Fire Chief Ben Steketee. Many of them are from the Hillsboro area and sponsored by local businesses.
Concessions will be sold at the complex, and prizes such as a barbecue grill will be given away to lucky ticket-holders, Steketee said. All proceeds go toward the fire department, with part of the funds specifically designated for the thermal imaging camera fund.
The championship game is set for 6 p.m. All games are sanctioned by the men's USSSADE, a national slow-pitch softball organization.
