For Northampton boys basketball head coach Coy Stampone, the word surviving comes to mind during the Stellar "Catch A Rising Star" Basketball Showcase.

Like most teams, the goal heading into the tournament is to advance as far as possible. The same mindset was on the agenda for the Konkrete Kids, who were hoping to earn a spot in the field on Sunday.

And the Konkrete Kids were able to make it to the last day, despite the fact that inclement weather late Saturday night postponed those games into early Sunday morning.

While battling with Central Bucks East when play resumed early Sunday, it was the Konkrete Kids who came up short and finished with two wins during their run.

"When you get to the Stellar tournament, Stellar is about surviving and always trying to get to play on Sunday," said Stampone. "Theoretically, because of the rain, we got to Sunday. We went 2-2 in the tournament which is really, really good, [and] the experience was very good.

"We had to be there at 6:30 a.m. to finish that game at 7 a.m. Going into the game, knowing you're giving CB East a 12-point lead, we cut it down to six."

Before their game against CB East, the Konkrete Kids had another tough task to start Saturday morning. Following an opening-day victory against Palisades, 45-23, the Konkrete Kids took on a solid Hazleton team in which they eventually fell to.

"They were one of the favorites in the tournament," said Stampone. "They have a D-1 point guard who was very, very good. With 10 minutes to go in the game, we were down six points. In the two losses, we played pretty well. I was proud of the commitment and effort the kids gave."

In between the two losses, senior-to-be Piefka Stonewall and the Konkrete Kids defeated Dieruff JV on Saturday afternoon for their second win of the tournament. Stonewall had a team-high 26 points for the Konkrete Kids, and Stampone has seen solid things from his center.

"He's done very, very well," said Stampone. "As long as he keeps that effort and keeps on working hard, he's going to be a force inside for us."

Kyle Geore, Marcus Morris, and Derek Kulp - all starters from a season ago-have graduated. With those three shooters gone, the makeup of the team is gradually changing course. Stonewall figures to be one of the main pieces going forward.

"It's a totally different looking team from last year," said Stampone. "Last year we fired up a lot of threes just out of the makeup of our team we had. This year it seems like it's more inside dominant.

"Every game, someone either stepped up or contributed in some way."

SportsFest's Atown Throwdown basketball tournament will begin on Thursday, and the Konkrete Kids will be pitted in a tough pool. The Konkrete Kids will get under way against Hempfield on Thursday at 7 p.m. They'll then face Constitution and Blue Mountain on Saturday.