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LAND O'LAKES - Four division titles were decided Aug. 12 at Genesis Prep, host site of the i9 Sports Summer Basketball League.
The rookies division ages 8-9 crown came down to an overtime thriller, with the Hurricanes edging the Gators 27-24, but the most unexpected scenario emerged in the seniors division (13-15).
In a four-team playoff, including a semifinal round, the fourth-seeded Suns defeated the No. 3 Warriors 53-33. The Suns knocked off top seed Heat 46-32 and the Warriors beat the No. 2 Tar Heels 44-30.
"They were all over the court," league director Anthony Presti said of the Suns' effort in their two playoff games. "I think they came in with one intention. That was the W."
The Suns' James Hanshew scored a game-high 32 in the final. That more than offset 19 points scored by the Warriors' Matt Jacobs.
In the rookies final, Ryan Schulman had a game-high 23 points for the Hurricanes, none bigger than the three he scored for the only points in overtime. Nick Contu led the Gators with 11.
The All-Stars beat the Gators 33-26 for the juniors (10-12) title. Alex Freeburg led the All-Stars with 17 points and the Gators' Logan Sebring scored 14.
The 7Ups won the dribblers (5-7) crown 34-15 over the Rattlesnakes. Ryan Clark scored 16 for the winners.
More than 130 boys and girls participated in the league that featured 16 teams, four in each division.
"I thought it went very well," Presti said. "We're going to start it up again in late November."
Contact Steve Lee at lee@sptimes.com.