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Last month marked the official tip-off for the Bucks Jewish Basketball Association, a Sunday youth league being held at the Abrams Hebrew Academy in Yardley.

For the first season, teams have been fielded by Abrams and three area synagogues: Beth El and KoI Emet, both in Yardley, and Shir AmiBucks County Jewish Congregation in Newtown.

The league is open to boys and girls from grades 6 to 8. The inaugural championship game is slated for March 11. Typically, teams have two games scheduled each Sunday.

Dale Sattin, director of development and communications for the day school, said the idea was modeled after existing leagues on the Main Line and the Old York Road corridor. Sattin said the league is about more than basketball; it's about building community in an area where Jewish families are disbursed over a large area.

"There really is a need for it. There are a lot of people here in Bucks County. There is no community center," said Sattin. "We do have nice facilities and a nice gym. We said, 'Let's become a gathering place.'"