32nd Annual Pete Sitch Tournament sees good turnout and support

Dave Sitch said his family is so thankful and appreciative for the continued support of the Pete Sitch Memorial Basketball Tournament.

This year marked the 32nd annual tournament created in honor of the Sitch family patriarch, who was killed in a logging accident in 1984.

The Lincoln Telephone Company team took home the top spot after beating Big Rock, a team based out of Boulder, in the championship game Sunday afternoon.

Sitch said this year's tournament had a full roster of 10 teams – including eight representing local Lincoln businesses - and ran unusually smoothly, with everything staying on schedule and a good turnout.

They also saw the best donations Sitch can ever remember seeing at the tournament. The tournament allows people to watch for free, but encourages them to donate at the door, and this year people seemed to more than willing to chip in.

"Normally, I know what I get and this year, you know what? We're almost gonna double it, believe it or not. I'm just blown away," Sitch said. He said he's not sure why donations were so much higher this year, but suspects it may have had something to do with the long-awaited spring-like weather, something he said Lincoln's KD Feeback had mentioned at the Fireman's ball Saturday night.

"He said 'everybody's' been in their house for the last three months from the cold and snow, and they're out, they have something to do.' I think he's on to something."

Sitch was also glad to see the turnout for the tournament because he knows it has a positive impact on the economy of his hometown.

"This little thing, at this time of year, puts a couple dollars in everyone's pocket," he said.

The tournament funds the annual Pete Sitch Memorial Scholarship awarded to a graduating Lincoln Senior every year. The ongoing success of the tournament let the Sitch family increase the scholarship from $500 to $750 in 2015 and then from $750 up to $1000 in 2017.