The biggest basketball tournament in the Tri-State just keeps getting bigger.

The Tri-State's first Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is cruising down the court so well that tournament officials have decided to extend the player deadlines a bit.

With more than 600 players already signed up, tournament officials are extending the deadlines for the May 21-22 tournament by a couple of day.

Registration forms can be picked up at The Ironton Tribune's office at 2903 S. Fifth St. or teams can register online at www.macker.com.

Paper registration forms will be accepted at The Tribune until noon on Friday. Online registration has been extended until midnight on Sunday.

Registration fees for the four-man teams, three players on the court and one substitute, are $108 per team, or $27 per player. Each player receives a T-shirt and each team competes for the coveted Macker trophies.

The Ironton Macker event is sponsored by the Friends of Ironton along with corporate sponsors including, Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, Bob Clyse Pontiac-GMC, Coca-Cola/POWERade, Clark's Pump-N-Shops, Marathon Ashland Petroleum and The Ironton Tribune.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Friends of Ironton, a grassroots, civic improvement group. Past Friends projects have included purchasing bullet-resistant vests for local police officers, purchasing and installing street signs in the Ironton area and repairing facilities at the Wayne National Forest.