It was only fitting that in the 25th annual Tony Samartino Future Stars Tournament held at Temple University's historic McGonigle Hall, two Philadelphia teams went toe to toe in the final. The Rasheed Wallace/Hunting Park Warriors had the edge in talent, but the host Sonny Hill Senior All Stars had the toughness and desire, making all of the big plays down the stretch to claim the victory.

To say the Sonny Hill Seniors were an underdog coming into the event would be an understatement. With teams like Cecil Kirk, Team Philly, Playaz Red, Rasheed Wallace, the Ballhawks, and Richmond Metro in the field the Seniors were far from the favorite to win the title. However, like many Sonny Hill teams from years past, this squad made up for their talent deficit with hustle and toughness.

Rasheed Wallace had, perhaps the toughest road to the finals, facing the Ballhawks, a team composed mainly of Philly Catholic League powerhouse Neumann-Gorretti's players, in the quarterfinals, and tourney favorite, and #1 playoff seed Team Philly in the semis. 6-foot-9 center Jason Love from Abington Friends school was a dominant force in the paint throughout the weekend, and future LaSalle Explorer Rodney Green got it done for the Warriors from the perimeter.

The championship game found the Sonny Hill Seniors in familiar territory, as they trailed early, just as they had in the semifinals against Cecil Kirk. However, the inspired play of Philadelphia Lutheran's 6-foot-4 WF Ameer Ali quickly brought them back. Ali had 12 points in the first half and helped the Seniors come back to take a 28-23 lead at the break.

In the second half, play opened up a bit and the seniors were able to extend their lead into double digits. But Rodney Green refused to let his team crumble, making big play after big play to cut the lead down the stretch. Rasheed Wallace got as close as three points in the closing minutes, but could never quite close the gap as Ali and Roman Catholic's 6-foot-6 senior WF Mike Ringold made the clutch plays and the Sonny Hill Seniors hung on for a 70-62 win.

Ameer Ali led all scorers with 25 points, and he pulled down 10 rebounds. Ringold added 22 points and 7 rebounds, and Woodrow Wilson's 6-foot-4 2G James Inge had 8 points in the final.

Rodney Green had 18 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to lead Rasheed Wallace. Jason Love, 6-foot-8 junior Markief Morris, and 6-foot guard Doug Davis each added 10 points.

Rodney Green drove to the basket and scored on a layup at the buzzer to lead Rasheed Wallace to an emotional win over Team Philly. Jason Love had 11 points, Doug Davis had 10, and Green finished with 9 in the victory. 6-foot-8 PF Dan Geriot and 5-foot-10 guard Malik Alvin each had 15 points to lead Team Philly.

The Sonny Hill Seniors overcame an 18 point first half deficit thanks, in part, to some friendly officiating, and slugged out a 75-72 win over a very talented Cecil Kirk squad. James Inge had 20 points for Sonny Hill and Mike Ringold added 10. Cecil Kirk was led by future Georgetown Hoya 6-foot-9 DaJuan Summers with 20 points and 6-foot-6 Jahmar Young with 14.

Rasheed Wallace 63 - Markief Morris 20 points 10 rebounds, Rodney Green 15, Jason Love 8 points 15 rebounds.

Ball Hawks 54 - David Burton 15 points 11 rebounds, Rich Jackson 9 points 6 rebounds

Cecil Kirk 89 - Jahmar Young 22, DaJuan Summers 21, Jamal Barney 16

Playaz Red 73 - Chris Smith 22, Dwayne Mack 15, Anthony Nelson 14, Miles Beatty 10

Sonny Hill Seniors 64 - Mike Ringold 17, James Inge 15, Ameer Ali 7

Richmond Metro 59 - Nick Brown 12, Marcus Nelson 12, Dan Dillard 12

Team Philly 80 - Tyrone Lewis 16, Malik Alvin 16, Malik Perry 14, Dan Geriot 10

AG All Stars 65 - Frank Turner 26, Manny Valentine 13

MVP - Ameer Ali - Sonny Hill Seniors

Mike Ringold - Sonny Hill Seniors

Corey James - Sonny Hill Seniors

Markief Morris - Rasheed Wallace

Jason Love - Rasheed Wallace

Rodney Green - Rasheed Wallace

DaJuan Summers - Cecil Kirk

Jahmar Young - Cecil Kirk

Jamal Barney - Cecil Kirk

Tyrone Lewis - Team Philly

Dan Geriot - Team Philly

Malik Alvin - Team Philly

Daniel Heppert - Richmond Metro

Kalief Foster - Sonny Hill Juniors

Antonio Jardine - Ballhawks

David Burton - Ballhawks

Miles Beatty - Playaz Red

Chris Smith - Playaz Red

Frank Turner - AG All Stars

Tamir Johnson - Hood Enriched

Dan Werner - Jersey Shore Warriors

Kyle Griffin - Lehigh Valley

Aaron Chapman - Eastern Ontario Guardsmen

Matt McFadden - Jersey Shore Warriors

Matt Foye - Firm AC

Javis Williams - Levitown

Kevin Hovde - West Chester Wildcats