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No teams stood out quite like the talent that came out of Antrim county, however, as two teams of Antrim all-stars made the trip north of the bridge with one thing in mind: taking first place.

"I wouldn't put a team together and make the trip if I didn't think we had a good chance of winning," Sean Finnegan, graduate of Bellaire High School and organizer of the team, said. Faith Plus Two was made up of three sets of brothers who had played under Stan Sexton at Bellaire; Sean Finnegan & Chris Bueby, Tyler & Ricky Somers, and Brandon & Michael McClary. "I knew with the talent we had on the team, there was a good chance we could take the whole thing," Finnegan said.

Faith Plus Two was to compete in the full court 5-on-5 top men's division, the most challenging and physical division of the tournament, with teams made up of college players from all over the state.

"I know a lot of the guys that we were going to be playing against," Finnegan said. "People who play in these tournaments aren't just casual ball players, they've played in college and they come to these tournaments to win; this is what they do."

"I love playing in these tournaments," all-state Bellaire center Michael McClary said. "They're a lot of fun and they keep you in shape during the off season."

The top men's division games were 26 minutes long or the first team to reach 20 points and win by two with regular field goals being worth one point and three-pointers being worth two. Faith Plus Two would go undefeated into the finals where they would win 20-8.

"We had a really good team," Bellaire senior Chris Bueby said. "With the McClary brothers down low and the Somers' doing what they do at the guard positions, was almost easy to win out the way we did."

Mancelona's Jeremy Howard organized a team for the 4-on-4 full court division which is played on courts with the rims being set at nine foot instead of ten.

"I love playing on the ninefoot rims," Howard said. "Its much more physical and slam dunks are more a part of the game."

"Last Stop" consisted of Mancelona's Howard, Central Lake's Brent Patton, Alex Scott, and Teddy Maza, and Bellaire's Jordon Nevarez.

"Last Stop" went into the finals after losing one game, where they faced off against a team which included Cedarville's C.J. Paquin, the shooting guard who helped lead his team to an undefeated season and a Michigan Class D State Championship.

"Last Stop" proved to be too physical, however, taking the final game 18-16.

"We just wanted it more I think," said Howard. "We had some big physical guys who were going to crash bodies and make you work to get to the basket. These tournaments are always a lot of fun, I had a great time."

Jeremy Howard will play basketball at Grand Rapids Community College and Brandon & Michael McClary will be playing at Olivet College.