By William Johnson

Forks Spartans Girls 7th Grade travel basketball team Takes 3rd place in Port Angeles Holliday Hoops tournament.

On Dec. 9 and 10 the Forks Spartans 7th-grade travel basketball team traveled to Port Angeles and played in the Holliday Hoops Tournament. On Saturday the girls started off tournament action playing against the Port Angeles Apex. The Lady Spartans jumped out to a lead and held on to win 25-20.

The second game of the day was against the North Kitsap Elite. The Spartans and Elite battled back-and-forth with the Spartans taking the lead with less than a minute to go and hung on to win a very exciting game. The girls finished the day 2-0.

On Sunday the Spartans opened up against the talented Inglemoor Vikings. The Vikings jumped out to a big early lead. The Spartans battled hard and competed but ultimately were overmatched and lost 37-17. In the final game which was a battle for second or third place, the Lady Spartans played the Sequim Wolves.

The Wolves came out firing and took a 6-0 lead before the Spartans came roaring back to take the lead. The Forks girls kept the lead for most of the second half of the razor-close game. Eventually with a minute left Sequim took the lead and with a last second three-pointer extended their lead and won the game 31-27.

This was the Spartans’ second tournament this year. Coach Brad Carstensen said, “the girls really battled hard this tournament and shown a world of improvement since the last tournament. We are going to continue to improve through the girl’s hustle and hard work.”

A special thanks to the Forks Assembly of God Church for allowing us to practice twice a week in their gym. Without the use of their gym it would not be possible for the girls to practice due to lack of gym time available in the school gyms. The Spartans will battle next on Jan. 16 -17 In Port Angeles at the Captain T’s Martin Luther King Invite.