RUMFORD — Clean Cut Painting came out of 5th place, finishing the regular season with a 6-8 record to previously knock off 4th place Jay (7-8) in the quarterfinal and upset 1st place Smart Care PT, Inc (15-1) in the semifinals. They then surprised everyone again by beating a strong A & G Carpentry team (12-5) that finished in 3rd place during the regular season, 79-78 in a well-played final.

The game was back and forth the whole way, with solid defense played on both sides. The A & G team was stunned early on, as they had handled Clean Cut in both games during season play. They were not their usual loose group and appeared as startled as a boxer by an unexpected punch. Clean Cut, with a renewed vigor over the last few games, realized they were a better team than was displayed all year. They were without top guard Eric Berry, but their energy was contagious and excitement palpable.

Will Bean led the charge for the champions in the first half and continued solid play in the second, while Cam Senneck and Keegan Pitcher also became presences, inside and outside. Bean finished with 21 points and was tough on the defensive end, while Senneck dominated the inside with the boards and contributed another 15. Pitcher added 14 points more with 3 long-range bombs.

A & G had a shot to win the game several times at the end, but had a turnover late in the game and 2 missed shots from close range as the buzzer sounded. Malik Farley was the top scorer for A & G with 25 points, followed by Cam Cobb with 22 and Calen Francose with 14.