They had a great time in the tropics.
The Humboldt Basketball Club, consisting of nine girls from Humboldt and one from Outlook, were in Hawaii from December 27 to January 4 to play basketball in a 10-team tournament.
"We had a lot of fun," said Kerri Archibald, who coaches the team with Kevin Grieman.
They also came home with the bronze medal.
They started the tournament out strong, winning their first game against the La Pietra Panthers 44-35.
"In game one, Humboldt was up by 18 points in the first quarter then took their full court press off, allowing La Pietra to get back into the game," said Archibald. "Also closing the gap was the 30 fouls that Humboldt racked up throughout the game."
The first game was challenging for the team, as they had to adjust to the American rules they normally do not have to follow.
Some of the different rules were no shot clocks, 10 seconds instead of eight to get the ball over half, free throws could not be rebounded until the ball hits to rim, the jump ball is called anytime two different players are touching the ball and no contact with the opposition with either hands at all.
Once they got past the rule differences, they continued their winning streak. They went on to win their second game against Punahou II 50-38.
Their winning streak was broken in the third game by Maryknoll, who used the American rules to their advantage, winning the game 43-31.
"Humboldt led in the first quarter, however in the second the very strong Maryknoll team came back taking a 15-point lead," said Archibald.
In the third quarter, Humboldt started to make a comeback, scoring four baskets and a couple of free throws, which closed the score gap to six points.
"Because there is no shot clock in Hawaiian basketball, the coach for Maryknoll told his team to hold the ball once they got it over half to take away Humboldt's momentum and eat up the clock," said Archibald. "For the last three minutes of the third quarter, our basketball game turned into a game of keep away. (We) became frustrated with this rule, as we are used to the fast-paced game due to the 24-second clocks."
The girls relaxed and went back into battle but Maryknoll continued with their third-quarter trick.
"While we were unhappy travelling all the way to Hawaii to only be able to truly play half of a basketball game, it was a feather in the caps to the players of the Mohawks to install such fear in the coach of Maryknoll that he was forced to stall us for almost a quarter and a half to ensure the win," said Archibald.
After that game, the Humboldt team went on to the bronze medal game against University, winning the contest 46-44.
It was a nerve-wracking game for the Humboldt team. They tied up the game with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter to force a turnover.
"With six seconds left, Paige Crozon threw the ball to Lindsey Larson," explained Archibald. "Larson's defender was all over her and, with three seconds left, Larson forced up a shot, hoping to draw the foul. No foul was called, and in the dying seconds of the game Paige Crozon got the rebound and scored the winning hoop."
After the tournament was over, it was exciting for the team to learn Crozon was one of five players named to the all-star team from the tournament.
The time in Hawaii was not all about basketball. They also enjoyed a number of exciting sightseeing and tourist activities on the islands.
The team enjoyed snorkelling with tropical fish, sea turtles, squid, sea cucumbers at Hanauma Bay, a sunset catamaran cruise sail around Waikiki and Honolulu's shores, whale watching, parasailing, snorkelling, surfing, paddleboarding, swimming, beach volleyball, pick-up basketball, suntanning, and shopping. Archibald and one of the parents, Phil Smith, went skydiving over the North Shore.
Not only did they do a lot of activities, they also learned a bit of history.
"The entire group toured Pearl Harbour's war museums, as well as the USS Arizona Memorial," said Archibald.
One big highlight of the trip was ringing in the new year in true Hawaiian fashion.
"The entire group attended a luau on New Year's Eve followed by a wonderful fireworks display on the beach at midnight," said Archibald.
