Pathways to Wellness B-Ball Tourney at Cass Lake-Bena Promotes Community Well-Being

Over the weekend was the inaugural Pathways to Wellness Basketball Tournament, hosted by the Leech Lake Area Boys & Girls Club and Leech Lake Happy, Healthy, Safe Youth.

The event, held at the Cass Lake-Bena Schools, was an opportunity to merge the area’s passion of basketball with the well-being of the community.

“We’ve been doing baby steps through our tournaments throughout the years to try to improve sportsmanship, building a more positive aura around our sports and our kids, and teaching them the values of being good to one another,” said David Northbird, the Cass Lake Unit Director for the Leech Lake Area Boys & Girls Club.

“The team[s] are all born and raised right here,” he continued. “We like to really showcase the school’s space, the gymnasiums, our community, to invite people into our area and host something great for them, where they can take home memories.”

Douglas Cloud, who is currently a junior on the Cass Lake-Bena boys’ basketball team, played in the tournament and shared his thoughts.

“It feels good because we can get the community together and we can have fun and play more basketball,” he explained. “It’s been fun. It’s just been competitive. All these teams we’re playing [are] basically all the teams we’re playing in the season, so we’re just getting ready to play.”

Winning the high school boys’ division was Nevis, mostly comprised of the Tigers’ regular season team roster.

Other winners include:

• High School Girls – ProMace
• 7/8 Boys – Sota Boys (Cass Lake)
• 7/8 Girls – Ogaakaaning
• 5/6 Boys – The Roots
• 5/6 Girls – Bemidji Girls
• 3/4 Boys – Sota Boys (Cass Lake)