Coming in as the defending champion of the tournament and top team from District 11 last year, Parkland boys basketball players knew teams were going to be giving it their all against them.

It didn’t come easy for the Trojans to repeat as Cedar Beach Showcase champions last weekend at Whitehall High School.

After a first-round bye they did not compete until Saturday morning, while many other teams got started Thursday and Friday.

Parkland took down 2025 District 11 4A champion Central Catholic, 59-41, in the opener, behind 16 points from Javian Porter.

But then in the second game later that evening, Parkland fell to Emmaus 46-41 and dropped into the elimination bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

It’s nothing new for Parkland in the summertime.

“In the summertime especially, we’re looking for challenges and we got that all weekend,” said head coach Eddie Ohlson. “We lost a game, and not all of our guys were here, which is not an excuse because it gives other guys a great opportunity to play.

“We kind of figured it out late here on Sunday and I’m happy with the effort here. The last game was a total team effort. The kids played the right way, and we’re happy to come away with the win. It was a great weekend for a lot of guys.”

So, now for the Trojans to win it all, they’d have to come out of the elimination bracket and win four straight. Well, mission accomplished.

Parkland opened Sunday morning with a 57-45 victory over Berks Catholic. Porter recorded 24 points.

The Trojans got the better of Allen 65-41 with Porter pouring in 23 points.

Lastly was a rematch with the Hornets for a shot at the championship game, and this time, Parkland was on the winning end, 57-27, as Porter netted 16 points.

In the final, Parkland kept the streak of double-digit victories going as it downed Wilson West Lawn 63-52 behind 17 points from Blake Nassry.

It was the eighth overall Cedar Beach Showcase title for the Trojans, who still have more to play for this summer.

“[Nassir] Adams has become our leader out there, and where he goes, we go,” Ohlson said. “Porter gave us great minutes. [Jude] Ruisch had some big games. We got contributions from everybody, even the guys coming off the bench. I am really happy for these guys because they put a lot of time and effort into it. We’ve still got the league playoffs and the A-Town Throwdown and then they’ll get some time off. They are young kids, and they need a break. So do the coaches.”