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PRCUA National Basketball Tourney
(Photos)
Wyandotte, MI - On Saturday, March
19th, PRCUA Society #162 hosted the 77th Annual PRCUA National
Basketball Tournament in Wyandotte, MI. The festivities began on
Friday evening when most teams arrived and attended the hospitality
function in Lounge #162, which offered food, drinks and fun. Many
participants and guests arrived at the lounge to relax and enjoy
themselves before the games began.
The 8 a.m. tournament tip-off came
early, after the events the night before, but the teams came ready
to play. The courts were at The Aquinas Center and St. Pius X
Catholic Church in Southgate, MI as well as St. Stanislaus Kostka
Catholic Church in Wyandotte, MI. PRCUA National President Joseph A.
Drobot, Jr. performed the official "jump-ball" ceremony just before
the first game at the Aquinas Center. PRCUA officers also in
attendance at the tournament were Resident V.P. Anna Sokolowski,
V.P. Bob Bielenda, Secy-Tres. Jim Robaczewski, District 10 Dir.
Christopher Ozog and President Emeritus Wallace Ozog. Each of the
officers made "the rounds" to all the gym locations to visit with
the players and watch the action.
A total of 12 teams from Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio and New York participated in this year's tournament.
After the morning session of pool play, the teams were seeded into
the "A"Division and "B" Division for playoffs, which consisted of a
single elimination format.
The battle for the "A" Division
Champions began as both St. Stan's #718 - Dare Bar and The Toledo
Ballers made their way to find each other in the finals. In the end,
it was St. Stan's #718 - Dare Bar that proved victorious.
The "B" Division highlighted the
efforts of Pope John Paul II from Centerline, MI and
Mr. Peter's Boys from Buffalo, NY facing each other in the final
game, with Pope John Paul II winning.
After the games, an Awards Banquet and
Dance was held at the PRCUA Society #162 Hall. The banquet began
with the announcement of the championship teams, All-Stars and MVPs.
The MVPs of the tournament are: Danny
Newell (St. Stan's Dare Bar) for the "A" Division and Chris Ozog
(Pope John Paul II) for the "B" Division. It was great to see over
200 people in attendance at the banquet. The guests were treated to
a Polish Dinner and great polka music by The Touch of Brass from
Toledo, OH. The partying continued in the hall until well after
midnight and then carried over into the lounge with more polkas on
the jukebox and friends enjoying each other's company, extending the
weekend as long as possible.
On behalf of Society #162, thanks are
extended to all of the teams that participated in the tournament, as
well as the guests in attendance. It was great to see everyone
laughing and having a great time enjoying each other's company and
making the tournament a great success.
Sincere thanks also go to all of the
volunteers who helped make the tournament happen. The gym managers,
scorekeepers, ticket sellers and t-shirt sellers worked hard to make
sure that everything ran smoothly. Special thanks go to Michelle
Stechschulte, Rogalin Dance Director, and the Rogalin Dance Troupe
for the great job they did running the lunch and concession stand.
Finally, thank-you to Bob Hojnacki for
his help in setting up the brackets and guidance with the tournament
details. With fraternalism at its best, PRCUA enjoyed another great
tournament weekend!
Submitted by Kelly Salatowski,
Tournament Chairperson
Here are some photos
from the event.
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