The Madness in March basketball tournament is filling up three of the Henryetta gyms this weekend.
Sponsored by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the tournament is in it’s 14th year.
It started in Dewar but, says tournament chair Victor Bear, “we outgrew it the first year. Now we play in the three gyms at Henryetta with games Thursday and Friday then Friday night, we have the coaches’ event, girls’ game, east-west game and the Darryl Dawkins dunk contest. He came to Henryetta two years.” Dawkins was the reason behind breakaway hoops after shattering several glass backboards.  Unfortunately, the all-star died in 2015 at the age of 58.
Teams come from Mississippi, Kansas, Nebraska and even North Carolina. They include teams that have won state competition.
“A lot of girls have come out of here to play in division one. There are a lot of great players.”
The finals will be held Saturday with trophies awarded.
He said this is a continuation of a November tournament that features little kids playing for three days.
“We want to thank the Henryetta school system for hosting this event and the town of Henryetta,” he said.