Volcanoes players win Hoops on the River elite title

A team of players from the Vancouver Volcanoes won the men’s elite division of the Hoops on the River three-on-three basketball tournament.

The tournament, held Saturday and Sunday at Esther Short Park, involved 215 teams.

There were four men’s divisions, a coed division, 14 boys age divisions and seven girls age divisions.

In both the semifinal and the final round, the Volcanoes beat Shoot 360 by a score of 20-17 to win the men’s elite semifinals. Shoot 360 of Vancouver was the defending champion in the elite division, which included semiprofessional and college basketball players.

For a list of all championship results, see the Community Sports Scoreboard.

Held for the ninth time, this was the second year the Hoops on the River tournament was at Esther Short Park and staged by Vancouver’s One Team Kids Foundation.

The tournament attracted 35 more teams than in 2014, according to One Team Kids co-founder James Welch.

“We are super thrilled at the direction this tournament is going,” Welch said, noting that he received a lot of positive feedback about the Esther Short Park venue.

One Team Kids Foundation was established by Welch and Eric Anderson in 2013 to provide education and extracurricular support for Clark County children.

The tournament also helps raise funds and awareness for Share Vancouver, which started the Hoops on the River tournament in 2006 and held it near the Red Lion Inn at the Quay.

Share Vancouver assists hungry and homeless people in the community.