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This weekend high school teams throughout the territory will compete for the winning title at the annual IAA/McDonald’s MLK Jr. Boys and Girls Memorial Invitational Basketball Tournament, according to a release issued today.
Teams from St. Thomas, St. Croix and British Virgin Islands will participate in back-to-back games throughout the holiday weekend starting Friday, January 17th at 4:00pm in the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School gymnasium and conclude with championship finals on Monday, January 20th.
Last years’ winners IEKHS Boys and Central High Girls team, will battle to defend their titles on the court. Competition will be fierce as rival teams will do their best to gain the top spots for 2020. The tournament will host high school teams from Charlotte Amalie, Antilles, All Saints and Ivanna Eudora Kean from St. Thomas. And Central High, Educational Complex, and Freewill Baptist from St. Croix. Visiting teams competing are from the British Virgins Islands will represent Bregado Flax, and Elmore Stoutt. The tournament will feature nine male teams and five female teams.
McDonald’s is once again the title tournament sponsor for the sixth consecutive year in partnership with the St. Thomas-St. John Interscholastic Athletic Association (IAA).
Marisol Vega Couto, Managing Director for McDonald’s Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is proud to support the competition. “We are proud to support this traditional inter-island competition and to recognize the student athletes who work hard on and off the court.”
McDonald’s has provided an added incentive for the tournament teams with a $2,000 prize to go to each of the two winning team’s athletic departments for the purchase of much needed equipment and supplies. McDonald’s and the IAA will also be recognizing and rewarding two participating student athletes with the highest academic scores.
Shane DeGannes, IAA President for the St. Thomas – St. John District, is thankful for the corporate support. “We appreciate the ongoing partnership with McDonald’s. Thanks to businesses like McDonald’s we can provide our student athletes with tournaments like this where they have an opportunity to put their skills to the test in healthy competition.”
IAA/McDonald’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Invitational Basketball Tournament games start 4:00pm Friday evening, January 17th and continue daily 9am-10pm throughout the weekend with championship games scheduled for Monday, January 20th at 10am for the girls’ game, with the boys’ game to follow. All games will be held at the Ivanna Eudora Kean gymnasium on St. Thomas.
For more information, contact Basketball Commissioner Kenny Todman at (340)-642-2156.
