The Womens side of the Marist 3x3 After 5 Competition tipped off on Thursday this week with Team Sunrise and 71 Gunns coming out victors.

Six teams took part in the women's inaugaral 3x3 event at the Holy Cross outdoor court on Thursday namely 71 Guns, SINU, Sunrise, White River Rookies 1 & 2 and Defenders. Sunrise was the last team standing as they boasted a very strong line up which inlcuded national rep and 3x3 main stayer, Elsie Daiwo who lead her team in most categories (i.e.scoring, steals and assists) of the game. Elsie plus senior national players Joycelyn and Calrose were unstoppable for team Sunrise as they made sure they went undefeated till the final whistle to claim the first spot.

The final results were 1st-Sunrise, 2nd-71 Guns, 3rd-Defenders, 4th-SINU, 5th-WR Rookies 2 and 6th-WR Rookies 1.

The competition was organized into two pools, with the top two from each pool after round 1, moving up to the semi-finals for the cross, before playing the final match-ups.   

According to the organizers, the womens competition although short, showcased few notable young talents from the likes of Ayesha,Monique,Britney,Elima, Jemma and Jessica.

"The code should be seen as a breakout platform for many of the youth players", said Coach Austin of Gunners Basketball Club.

"Therefore we made sure our younger female players came out to experience the code, as we set up 71 Guns and Sunrise, and also provided few players for SINU upon request from their caretaker coach Cyril, to come to here and have a go at the competition", he added.

"Thanks Marist Baskteball Club and SKBA officials for organizing this competition. We look forward for more".

The style and game pace of 3x3 is suited to the playing ability of many Solomon Islanders. It is fast, furios, and requires a lot of fitness, agility and a bit of acquired or trained athleticism from individual players.

Vetran basketball players from team Defenders and Sunrise especially in the likes of Lysa, Joycelyn and Calrose showed that they still had game, and proved that experience was a crucial part in maintaining balance in their teams performances. Their participation in the competition with their respective teams helped in controlling and managing the younger players who were out in force to try out 3x3.

West Honiara powerhouse basketball club, White River Rookies featured two teams and introduced the code to their youth players for the first time. Coach and player Nadia brought their young players across from White River and had a good run in the early rounds of the competition.

Full final results of the competition will be posted shortly by FIBA 3X3. 

Meanwhile, Marist Basketball Club will host another 3x3 After 5 competition for Mens on the 28th of October, 2020.

Interested teams can send in their team list to solohoops2023@gmail.com or message via inbox to Solomon Islands Basketball Facebook Page, once formal notice is uploaded.