It's that time again... when parliamentarians and clergymen come together and see who will reign supreme on the basketball court.  The friendly game, played every year in the 'Peace on Da Streets' basketball tournament, will tip off after two divisional championship matches, scheduled to played at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium tonight. Organizer Carlos Reid is excited to see both sides come together especially now when the country's murder count stands at 76.

"We couldn't ask for a better time for the Members of Parliament and pastors to come together and show unity through the game of basketball," said Reid. "With all that is taking place we want the young men and women to see that differences can be settled outside of violence. Bringing these persons together is a step in the right direction and a path that should be followed.

"We have some of the veteran pastors playing this year because the politicians were complaining that we always bring the younger pastors to play. We are going to bring Bishop Moses Johnson, Dr. Phillip McPhee, Jay Simms, Ivan Johnson as well the dunking pastor Arthur Duncombe. We have a good core of seasoned pastors so the game will be interesting. You know Zhivargo Laing is going to lead the way for the politicians. This year we have opened up the invite to some of the members of DNA and NDP members. We are going to have a fun time."

According to Reid, the Pastors' squad will be coached by Bishop Neil Ellis and Perry Christie, leader of the Opposition, will sit at the head of the bench for the Members of Parliament.
The night of festivities will start with the Under-16 championship game which will be followed by the 19-and-under championship game. The men of the cloth and elected officials will then take to the court, and the featured match will showcase players from the open division. The slam dunk contest, which is always a crowd pleaser at the event, will see the Sprite Slam Dunk champion from Miami, Brandon 'Worm' Lacue and Michael 'Air Dog' Stuart going up against local Bahamian talent.

Stuart said: "We are definitely going to bring out some exciting never-seen-before dunks. We are going to put on a show for the crowd. We promise a good time to all in attendance and for those who are not sure, we encourage you to come and see some great dunks."
The doors will open at 5:00 p.m. today. Admission is set at $7 for adults and $3 for kids.

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