Shark U10 ballers take first in home tournament
By Misty Volaski

About 300 people attended the Ojai Invitational Basketball Tournament this weekend put on the Ojai Sharks. Games were played at the Ojai Recreation Department throughout last weekend. Eight teams from five cities competed in two divisions, boys' 11-and-under and boys' 10-and-under.

The Ojai Sharks U10 team won the championship in their division by beating Thousand Oaks by two points.

"The Sharks were plagued with foul trouble due to their aggressive play," said coach Dan Placial. Heyden Wooff, he added, played the entire second half with four fouls, and teammate Zach Gwin sealed the victory when he hit a key free throw in the final seconds of the game.
Tournament MVP for the U10 division was Connor Placial. The Best Defensive Player trophy was awarded to Mason Pendleton and the award for Sportsmanship went to Duncan Rains.

The U11 team showed flashes of their skills in every game, but suffered from what Placial called a "lack of practice time together." The boys lost to the Santa Ynez Jumpmen in the battle for third place. Brock Taylor picked up the MVP trophy, and Matt Martinez earned Best Defensive Player.

Teams that competed included the Ventura Magic, Santa Ynez Jumpmen, Cmarillo Dons, Thousand Oaks and two teams from both the Ventura Breakers and the Ojai Sharks.

Tournament sponsors were Ojai Sports and California Custom Painting.
For more information on the tournament or to inquire about playing for the Sharks, visit the Shark Web site at eteams.com/ojaisharksbasketball or call coach Dan Placial at 701-2055.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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