Sprinkles couldn't shut the Arlo 2v2 basketball tournament down Saturday morning.
“Everyone just huddles underneath the canopies and we get all nice and close to each other,” organizer Zach Helms said, cracking a smile. “It's a good bonding moment.”
The third-annual outdoor basketball tournament, started and operated by recent Arlington High School graduates and their friends, went on as planned through intermittent precipitation on the cement court next to the school playground and practice football field.
Helms said about 60 towns and seven area colleges were represented among the participants. Overall, the turnout was solid even though the event's return was in question.
“I didn't think this was going to happen until a week ago,” Helms said.
Past players, however, came to the 2018 AHS grad and his friends, hoping the 2-on-2 basketball tourney would move forward with another edition. It did and Helms hopes for continued growth moving forward.
“We're trying to build on it,” he said.
Another AHS grad instrumental to the tournament, Jakob Lenaeus, even has an idea to take the event on the road to new towns.
“That's kind of what we're going for,” Helms said.
Former Blair, Arlington and Fort Calhoun basketball players took part in Saturday's play as well as many of their high school opponents. Brothers Isaac and Skyler Woita of Wahoo won the tournament, while a Bennington pairing of Karson Gansebom and Cole Schumacher took second. Logan View graduate Ben Moxness, who now plays basketball at Doane University, was the dunk contest victor.
Helms credited Landon Walkenhorst, Jackson Borgmann and Justin Allen as the additional AHS graduates who've played an important role in helping Arlo 2v2 reach its third year with more room to grow.
