The West Association basketball team had an easy 27-8 victory against the Savaii Association U16 on their Independence day tournament held at Gym 2, Tuanaimato. 

The first half of the game, Savaii was only allowed to score one point - from a foul play by player number 10 of the West team.

However, for West they took the lead by scoring 8 points in the first fifteen minutes of the match. Most of the players who played today in the U16 division were part of the Skills Challenge.

Returning in the second half of the game, West extended their lead with 19 extra points added to their scoreboard, while Savaii was only able to contribute an additional seven on their scoreboard. 

This is the first year that the Samoa National Basketball Association (S.N.B.A) has put together teams from each association to compete in the annual Independence tournament. 

The tournament is set to run for four days, starting Tuesday and continuing on Thursday and Friday before wrapping up with their finals on Saturday at Gym 2. 

Four associations competed on Tuesday - Savaii, West, East, and Central Associations. Each association has selected their best players to face off against each other in the hope of raising the level of play and offering a different experience for the players. 

A group of supporters were gathered at Gym 2 on Tuesday, adding pressure for the players as they battled it out on the court.