2023 All-Star Weekend Recap
The PBL Open - Elite Division All-Star Team. (Bruce Gasmena)
To say packed and exciting is an understatement for Prairie Basketball League’s (PBL) 2023 All-Star Weekend last Saturday.
Six all-star games, a three-point shootout and the long-awaited dunk competition are just some things that happened. It was a mix of fun, intense and electric, and there was no shortage of “defence” and “PBL” chants from the roaring crowd. On top of all the excitement, music and entertainment by DJ Era accompanied the weekend festivities including all-star introductions.
The day kicked off with the Juniors division all-star game, a matchup between Team Andrew and Team Jeff. While it was a close game at the start, Team Jeff pulled away with a 57-49 victory, and Ryan Cerezo took the MVP honours.
The top 20 players from the High School division faced off against each other, with Team Christian and Team Rebecca battling it out in the second game. Team Christian earned the 73-62 win and division top scorer Gideon Hamstra dropped 20 points, earning the All-Star MVP.
Visiting teams from Winnipeg faced off against the rest of the PBL All-Star teams, starting with the Women’s division all-star game. The game can be recapped with one word: intense. In the end, the St. Boniface University Les Rouges pulled away with the 41-36 win. Guard Jade Costa went home with the All-Star MVP honours. For the Senior’s division game, MVP Christian Ferrer of Knights One scored 18 points and led his team to a 79-65 victory against the PBL Seniors (35 and above) All-Star team.
The PBL Women’s All-Star Team and the St. Boniface University Les Rouges. (Bruce Gasmena)
It isn’t truly an All-Star Weekend without fan favourites slam dunk and three-point competitions and some math trivia. Slam dunk competitors Jermaine Akaromo, Branden Critch, Lloyd Hildebrand and fan-favourite Lorence Dela Cruz did not disappoint. All four participants got the crowd on their feet with their high-flying and jaw-dropping performances. In the end, Monstars Lloyd Hildebrand won the judges over and was named the Slam Dunk Contest Champion.
Then, PBL and visiting players showed off their range in the three-point contest. Sharpshooter Justin Sarmiento of the More Than Just Feed was one of top four scorers and went 17 of 25 from beyond the arc in the finale. He was crowned the champion and won $250 among other prizes.
The games resumed with the PBL Open Elite All-Star team against Refresh Basketball in front of a lively crowd. The Winnipeg visitors put on a show with a 90-67 win. MVP honours were awarded to Lorence Dela Cruz who dropped 24 points.
The evening wrapped up with the PBL All-Filipino All-Star team against Metroball Winnipeg. MVP Don Dayrit of Metroball Winnipeg helped his squad secure the 66-58 victory. PBL action resumes this weekend, Saturday, July 10, with semifinal games starting at 8:15 AM at the Steinbach Regional Secondary School’s gold gym. It will continue into Sunday, July 11 with Open Elite semifinal games kicking off at 5 PM. Check out the schedule and stay updated on all things PBL on Facebook, Instagram and prairiebasketballleague.ca.
