It would be an uphill battle for the Westchester Hawks. Heading into a major tournament without two of their key players would provide a test of character and teamwork.

But when the dust had settled, the team from Westchester, NY would win the 17U Gold bracket and take home the championship hardware from the Providence JamFest.

With Dajuan Coleman absent and Jabarie Hinds, down with an ankle injury from a previous event, the Westchester Hawks were a team without their primary weapons. That would not deter the Hawks. Seeded 4th in a field of 24, the Hawks received a BYE in the first round, then defeated the Greater Boston Lions in the second round, followed by Mass Rivals in the quarters. Finally they took down the CT Knights, 72-65, in the semifinal round to reach the championship round.

HoopGroup tournament director Steve Ott said that a lucky break occurred for the Hawks when the heavily favored New England Playaz lost in pool play and never made it into the premier gold bracket play off rounds. The NE Playaz would, however, go on to win the Silver bracket chip.

In the Gold bracket championship, the Westchester Hawks took on eXpressions. It would be a close match-up throughout as eXpressions led 31-30 at the half but the Westchester Hawks would pull away late for a 67-59 win.

In the championship game, Chris Martin led the Westchester Hawks with 23 points including five 3's followed by Matt Townsend who contributed 15 points.

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