JERSEYVILLE - Community members can support athletics in Jersey County while watching local kids compete in a 3v3 basketball tournament.
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Starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2026, kids in third through eighth grade will compete in the tournament at Jersey Community High School. Parents and community members are invited to watch at $5 per person, with free tickets for children ages 5 and under and military. Proceeds go back to Junior Panther Athletics, a group that aims to provide athletic opportunities to kids in Jersey County.
“Our organization, Junior Panther Athletics, came together with a group of parents in Jersey County that wanted to put together some youth programs that we, as a community, were lacking compared to some of the other communities in our conference,” explained organizer Steve Goetten. “Our mission is to provide community-driven programs that allow young athletes of Jersey County greater opportunities to learn, grow and compete locally. We strive to have a positive impact by building character and promoting excellence in all we do.”
Concessions and 50/50 drawings will be available throughout the day. There are 38 teams competing, or roughly 150 kids. The community is invited to show their support for these young athletes and the Junior Panther Athletics programs.
Goetten noted that Jersey County didn’t have some of the same opportunities as other towns in the region. His own child had to travel to Staunton to play baseball, while other families were driving up to 45 minutes to Edwardsville or O’Fallon to provide their kids with more competitive athletic opportunities.
The Junior Panther Athletics group brings these kids together so they can play in Jerseyville. In the two years since they started, they already have multiple baseball teams, soccer teams, basketball teams and flag football teams established. They hope to start a volleyball team soon.
While some of these teams are through groups like Alton Parks and Recreation, all of the kids are from Jerseyville, allowing them to practice in town and play together as a team from a young age. Goetten expects this to benefit them when they begin playing at the high school level.
He noted that the school district and the city have both been supportive, as has the Jersey Community Panther Athletic Club. He hopes that, in turn, Junior Panther Athletics can support them.
“We also have the goal of bringing people out of town to Jersey County, to Jerseyville, to see what the community is about, the town is about, and to potentially spend some money in town as well. That’s kind of an auxiliary piece to it,” he said. “But I just think it’s good and betters our kids, our community and everything, all at the same time.”
The 3v3 tournament is an example of the Junior Panther Athletics group in action. The event also acts as a fundraiser, allowing the group to pay for insurance, facility rental fees, and other costs, including fronting the bill for kids who might not be able to afford participation in local sports. For more information, or to donate, you can email jrpantherathletics@gmail.com or Venmo @JrPantherAthletics.
Goetten hopes to welcome community members from across the Riverbend region to watch these kids play. He believes it will be an enjoyable day of basketball while making it possible to provide additional sports opportunities to kids in Jersey County.
“There’s a lot of excitement about it. We’re excited to be able to put it on,” he added. “I think we will have a pretty good turnout with the whole thing.”
To learn more about the Junior Panther Athletics 3v3 basketball tournament, click here.
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