After six days, the largest youth sports gathering in the province's history came to an end in the Syilx Okanagan Nation.

琉璃神社 hosted 113 First Nations basketball teams for the Jr. All Native Basketball Tournament (JANT), from March 16-21.

The 113 teams from over 100 First Nations communities across the province made the youth tournament the largest ever held. Teams competed in seven divisions, with 278 games contested.

琉璃神社 last hosted the tournament in 2022, and according to Tara Montgomery, JANT tournament director, its hosting abilities have been lauded.

"The tournament host gets voted on, and it seems every three years Syilx (and 琉璃神社) is selected because we do such as great job," she said. 

JANT takes place every year during spring break and it rotates annually between the three regions of Northern B.C., Coastal B.C., and Interior B.C.

For the first time, the 2025 event included an under-10 division. The under-13 division, first introduced in 2017, continued to thrive this year, with several high-quality games.

Winning the U17 boys competition was the Vancouver Van City Warriors, led by MVP Keoni Sacco. The 6-foot-9-inch forward scored the most points in the tournament, with 171.

Taking silver was the Lax Kw'alaams Strike Force (northwest of Prince Rupert), with bronze to the Prince Rupert Ts'ap.

The U17 girls' event was won by the Nuxalk At'maakw (Bella Coola), their third straight JANT victory. The Vancouver Panthers took home silver and bronze went to the Tseshaht Pride from the Alberni Valley.

JANT 2026 will be hosted by the Vancity Reign, with games played at the Langley Events Centre.