56th annual BRIT basketball tournament tips off in Saskatoon

Saskatoon basketball players are feeling plenty of excitement as the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament (BRIT) gets underway.

BRIT, one of the biggest high school basketball tournaments in the country, brings together students from across Canada for three days of competition. The annual event runs from Thursday to Saturday, with 12 teams competing.

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Representing the Bridge City are Holy Cross High School, St. Joseph High School, Walter Murray Collegiate and, of course, Bedford Road Collegiate.

Regina is represented by a team from Martin Collegiate, while Prince Albert is represented Prince Albert Carlton.

The out-of-province contenders are Collingwood School (West Vancouver), Carson Graham Secondary School (North Vancouver), Sir Winston Churchill School (Calgary), Magrath High School, Maples Collegiate (Winnipeg) and Dakota Collegiate (Winnipeg).

BRIT host Hanna Meguro said it takes an entire year and the efforts of all the students at the school to plan the tournament, which has been running since 1968.

Competition kicks off on Thursday afternoon

There will be two girls’ games in the morning and early afternoon on Thursday before Game 1 tips off at 2:30 p.m. between the Bedford Road Redhawks and the Dakota Lancers, who are the top-ranked team in Manitoba.

“It’s definitely a good, tough match-up, but it’s definitely going to get us prepared for our second stretch of the season,” Redhawks player Abu Ahmad said.

Even if it won’t be an easy victory, Ahmad said the team has the benefit of playing on their home court.

“The way that the home-court advantage and the Redhawks really rally around us is truly an incredible experience,” he said.

That community support is something that can’t be beat, Ahmad added.

“The atmosphere is one of one,” he said.

“It can’t be replicated across any other gym in the country.”

His teammate Abhi Gill shared a similar sentiment when describing the tournament.

“They really bring a high level of competition,” Gill said.

“The crowd gets into it and it’s just really fun.”

For Gill, BRIT is “the best place to be” this weekend in Saskatoon.

The championship game is set to be played 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets will be sold at the door of Bedford Road’s Kelly Bowers Gymnasium. For those paying with cash, a day pass will cost $10 while a tournament pass is $25. Anyone using a credit card for payment will need to pay an additional convenience fee.