Heartland Insurance retains title

The veteran squad went undefeated in the two-day event.

Considering the advanced age of some of their players, the last thing the Ted Coalter Heartland Insurance basketball team wanted was a repeat of last year's climb out of the Slamfest losers bracket.

Mission accomplished. The Cape Girardeau squad captured its second straight Slamfest title, winning the 14th annual event at Indian Park without a loss, capped by Sunday's 46-42 victory over the tournament's other Cape Girardeau-based club, SEMO Specialties & Sports.

"Last year we had to come out of the losers bracket and win twice [in the finals]," tournament MVP Fred Jones said. Added a smiling Jones, "Most of us are getting up there in age. Doing it this way was a lot better."

Jones, 39, scored a team-high 13 points in the championship game. The former college player at North Carolina A&T actually is from St. Louis, but he has relatives in Cape Girardeau and has played in every Slamfest.

"I've been in all 14," he said. "It's a lot of fun, and it's always nice to win."

Mike Colon, the Heartland Insurance player-coach, has also played in every Slamfest. Colon, 43, is a former standout at Central High School who said he does more coaching than playing these days, although he hit two free throws in the late going Sunday that proved crucial.

"I don't do as much actual playing as I used to, but it's still very nice to win it two years in a row, especially when we have all these wily veterans," a laughing Colon said. "I think our average age is about 40."

Colon said he blended in three younger players this year to help the squad and one of those, Central product Ross Conner, added nine points in the finals.

"They brought us in to help out," said Conner, 23. "I've played in four [Slamfests], but this is the first time I've played with this team."

Heartland Insurance had to fight off a strong challenge from SEMO Specialties & Sports, which lost its tournament opener early Saturday on a shot at the buzzer, then battled all the way out of the losers bracket by winning five straight games.

"We were worn out," said Central graduate Travis Cox, whose team played seven tournament games compared to just four for the champions.

Central product Joe Nunley hit four 3-pointers and led SEMO Specialties & Sports with 18 points in the finals. Former Southeast Missouri State player Norman Prather added eight points.

Joseph Evans, a 15-year-old from Jackson, Tenn., who has relatives in Cape Girardeau, won the slam-dunk contest with an impressive showing.

Slamfest founder Scott Porter termed the event, which raises money for the House of Prayer Educational Youth Domestic Center in Cape Girardeau, once again a major success as several thousand people filled Indian Park over the weekend despite the heat.

"Even though it was really hot, the crowds were great," Porter said. "People turned out not only to watch basketball, but to socialize and enjoy the entertainment, and we always have great food.

"Everything went really good, just like it always does, and hopefully everybody will come back next year."

Colon knows he and his teammates will.

"We're getting older, but we plan to keep it up," he said, grinning. "We'll be back with the same bunch."