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ALTON – Area basketball fans are sure to enjoy a Wednesday event when the Gateway AAU under-17 basketball team hosts a six-game shootout with an international flavor beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton.
The Gateway AAU U-17 team features three key players that helped the Explorers to the IHSA Class 2A Carbondale Super-Sectional in March, where they were eliminated by eventual runner-up Mount Carmel, including Sammy Green, Reagan Snider and Jake Hall; the Explorers finished with a school record 30 wins on the year and a No. 5 Illinois Associated Press Class 2A ranking.
Also on the Gateway team are Civic Memorial's Jaquan Adams and Edwardsville's Jack Marinko and RJ Wilson; Adams was a key player for the Eagles' 23-10 2016-17 season, while Marinko's outside shooting helped spark the Tigers to a 30-2 record and a spot in the IHSA Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional, where they lost to eventual state runner-up Chicago Simeon. Chaminade's Jordan Rayner, also on the team, helped the Red Devils to the Missouri Class 5 tournament, where they finished fourth last high school season.
There will be both boys and girls games on the day; the games will include a boys team and girls team from Belgium, who are on a tour of the United States, and the Waterloo Gibault girls team. The schedule for the day looks like this:
10:30 a.m.: Gateway boys vs. Belgium boys
11:50 a.m.: Marquette Catholic girls vs. Belgium girls
1:10 p.m.: Illinois Bucks U-17s vs. Belgium boys
2:30 p.m.: Waterloo Gibault girls vs. Belgium girls
3:50 p.m.: Gateway boys vs. Illinois Bucks boys
5:20 p.m.: Marquette girls vs. Waterloo Gibault girls
Admission to the day-long event is $6 for those 10 and older, $3 for children aged 5-10 and free for those under 5.
