Despite being in a bracket with the team that ended its season last winter, as well as a squad from New Jersey and a Constitution team that advanced to last year's title game, the Salisbury boys' basketball team stood above the rest in the SportsFest "A-Town Throwdown" Basketball Tournament at Cedar Beach.

The Falcons won all three of their games in pool play to earn a spot in the round of 16 that began on Sunday morning.

But following that 3-0 start that included wins over Constitution (47-39), Bethlehem Catholic (44-36) and Phillipsburg (38-28), the Falcons' run came to an end early on Sunday with a 39-36 defeat to North Hunterdon.

All in all, the past two weeks have been a solid run for the Falcons.

After going 4-2 at Stellar, their run in SportsFest gave the Falcons 10 games of experience against quality competition from all over the area. It was the second straight season that the Falcons advanced to SportsFest's final 16 teams.

"It's been a good summer," head coach Jason Weaver said. "We're inconsistent still. And I know obviously that will come over time. There are some times when we look like we can compete with anybody, but there are also times when it looks like we would struggle against a middle school team."

While both teams on Saturday were not the same from last year's District 11 Class AAA quarterfinals matchup when Becahi defeated Salisbury, the Falcons put together an impressive effort against one of the district's top teams.

Becahi cut Salisbury's 10-point lead at halftime to just five in the second half, testing the Falcons' inexperience in the final minutes. But the Falcons never gave up the lead, handing the Golden Hawks their first loss of the tournament.

"We overcame some of our mistakes, and we did what we needed to do to win," Weaver said. "To me, that's the most important thing. Was it our best effort? No. But we are moving on and we have a chance, based on what happens the next game, hopefully to get to Sunday."

Against Constitution, the Falcons were forced to abandon their zone defense for a man-to-man approach after trailing late in the game. It turned out to be a solid strategy from Weaver, as the Falcons were able to go back in front and secure the win.

"We actually moved the ball really well and got some open shots and open looks," Weaver said. "They took the lead in the second half, and they were holding the ball. They forced us to go man-to-man because they were holding it out, and actually our man-to-man defense responded.

"That was a really solid game in terms of not forcing anything. We were making the right pass and the right play."

Inconsistent play has plagued the Falcons for much of the summer. Some of that up-and-down play was seen in SportsFest, but the most important facet of their play was finding a way to pull out wins.

"I think sometimes we force a little bit, or sometimes we relax a little bit," Weaver said. "We throw a soft pass, or we don't box out, or we dribble with our heads down into a trap.

"I think with that inconsistency, being able to get the wins means a lot. Even if you're not playing consistent and you're still getting wins, that's the important thing."

Allen downed Parkland in the boys' title game, 70-53. The Trojans won last season's championship over Constitution. Nazareth defeated last year's champion, Dunmore (31-27) to win the girls' championship.