By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

All summer long, Maaco-Blue Ash had touted its team as possessing the best offensive players in the Deveroes Summer League, while Stratus Group boasted the top defensive unit.

Sunday the forces collided in the league championship game at Oak Hills High School, needing all 40 minutes to decide a winner. After nearly turning the game into a rout, Maaco-Blue Ash held on late for a 113-110 win, completing an undefeated season, the second-time it has occurred in the 19-year history of the league.

The championship came largely on the strength of two players, regular-season Most Valuable Player David Shelton and Jack "Truck" Jennings, a 275-pound force inside who also was able to knock down 3-pointers.

"It's special," Jennings said. "We hadn't won it in about three years, and it feels good to go undefeated."

Jennings, who will leave next month to play in Israel, finished with 28 points. He scored 11 key points early in the second half, six from 3-point range, to give Maaco-Blue Ash a comfortable 15-point lead. Shelton, a former University of Tulsa and Withrow High School standout, proved to be a mismatch inside of 15-feet for Stratus Group, which couldn't find a guard strong enough to defend Shelton. He scored 27 points, the bulk of which came on mid-range jumpers.

But Damon Flint, the former University of Cincinnati guard, completed a critical four-point play with 56 seconds left when he was fouled on a 3-pointer. His free throw gave Maaco-Blue Ash a 108-101 lead. Stratus Group couldn't get any closer than three points the rest of the way.

"It was over after that," Flint said. "Every time the score gets close, that's when I want the ball. That shows I want to win, and when you're focused on winning, everybody's happy."

Stratus Group, a surprise semifinal winner, outplayed Maaco-Blue Ash in the first half by using a smart defensive tactic on Jennings, forcing him to drive baseline and give up the ball.

"In the first half, I was really frustrated," Jennings said. "I just had to stay focused. I knew they couldn't beat us because we have too many horses."

Trailing 32-29 with 9:10 left in the half, Stratus Group built a 44-36 lead after Jennings picked up his fourth foul and sat the rest of the half.

"We got caught up in the hype," said Maaco-Blue Ash coach Tony Brown. "They were trying to make us play fast, but once I got them settled down, we've got too many weapons."

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com