BRIEFLY: ST. LOUIS SIXERS RECLAIM CROWN AT SLAMFEST

Last year, the St. Louis Sixers had their string of four straight Slamfest titles ended when a team from Cairo, Ill., won the championship.

But the Sixers reclaimed their Slamfest crown Sunday when they beat a Southern Illinois squad based out of Ullin 50-41 in the finals of the 16-team, outdoor basketball tournament held at Indian Park.

The Sixers' Erwin Claggett, a former standout at St. Louis University who has played professionally, was named MVP of the ninth annual event.

Travis Cox of Cape Girardeau won the 3-point contest. Darryl Reddin was second.

"We had another very successful tournament," said Slamfest director Scott Porter. "It rained (early Sunday) and we played some games at the Osage (Community) Centre, but we came back out (to Indian Park) for the rest of the tournament.

"I thought we might lose some fans with the rain, but they all came back out. Everybody had a great time and we're looking forward to next year's tournament."

The Slamfest annually raises money for the House of Prayer Educational Youth Domestic Center in Cape Girardeau.