Poconos Youth Unlimited Basket Ball Team Wins Canadian Tournament

This past weekend, the Pocono Youth Unlimited basketball team traveled to Canada to participate in a tournament in which they placed 1st.

This past weekend, the Youth Unlimited basketball team from the Poconos placed 1st in the Lindsay A. Burnett Invitational Basketball Tournament in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal United, a Canadian non-profit, hosted the tournament. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, around 20 teams went head to head. One by one, teams were eliminated in a total of 60 games taking place on three different courts.

The Youth Unlimited team from the Poconos has collaborated with Montreal United for years. When the invitation to the Lindsay A. Burnett Invitational Basketball Tournament was received, the Youth Unlimited team was happy to accept it, with the bonus of all proceeds going to Montreal United to continue their mission of supporting their kids and community. “Some of the kids have never been out of the state, much less out of the country. They had a great time, and the bonding between them was astounding. It was a great experience. They loved it and can’t wait to do it again next year,” said Vincent Ford, Youth Unlimited Head Coach.

The Youth United team gave an energetic performance winning seven out of their eight games throughout the weekend. Their final match was against the La Prairie Lions, who had defeated the Youth Unlimited team earlier in the tournament. Tension was already high, being a rematch in the finals, but raised to the next level as the game entered into overtime. “We were up two points with 13 seconds left to go. They (La Prairie Lions) get the ball in the last 2 seconds. This kid lines up for a jump shot and, boom, sinks it. One of the refs calls it for a 3-point shot, and the head ref calls it a 2, so we got a conflict. Which one is it? The 2 won out, which then tied the game. We went into overtime, where we won by 1 point,” said Ford. 41-40 was the final score making the Poconos Youth Unlimited team the winners of the Lindsay A. Burnett Invitational Basketball Tournament.

In addition to the win, two Youth United students were given special recognition for their performances, Aiden Pierre as the tournament MVP and Kenyon Bell as the team Allstar. The Youth United basketball team plans to return next year.

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