ARLEE — While the rest of us were just battling the heat last Wednesday, athletes took to the courts to battle each other for the title of champion.

A whopping 46 teams played in the 18th Annual Arlee Celebration 3-on-3 tournament at Thomas Lyles Memorial Courts on July 3, a day on which temperatures reached a scorching 95 degrees.  With little shade to be found, the courts seemed to radiate heat.

But that didn’t stop basketball players of all ages.  In fact, this year had the second-largest turnout in all 18 years of the tournament’s existence. Olan Paulsen, with Mission Valley 3-on-3, said the teams comprised of mainly locals from Pablo, Polson, Ronan and Arlee. The organization arranges and puts on tournaments in Arlee, Bigfork, and Ronan.  

Teams consisted of four players, five players for the coed teams, and games lasted 25 minutes or until one team reached 21 points.

By the time the championship games were played at 7 p.m. the temperature seemed to drop by a few degrees but the teams kept bringing the heat, keeping the tournament exciting up until the very end.

If you missed the deadline to sign up for the Arlee Celebration tournament, the next Mission Valley 3-on-3 tournament will be during Pioneer Days in Ronan.