The Boynton Beach Police Athletic League 19-and-under All-Star basketball team won the championship at the 26th annual Necelina McDonald Memorial Foundation Spring Classic in Brooklyn. The Boynton PAL 19U All-Stars defeated Brooklyn 58-50 in the title game at St. Edmund Preparatory High School on April 16.
Boynton Beach won three consecutive games after losing to Brooklyn 51-50 in overtime during the opening game of the tournament. Boynton Beach then defeated Brooklyn 56-36 and cruised past Philadelphia 82-32 to advance to the finals. Jaiden Miller was named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament.
Christ Fellowship Church of Boynton Beach was recognized for its contributions as a main sponsor to help provide an opportunity for the participants to receive an all-expenses paid trip. The city of Boynton Beach, Boynton Beach Police Department, The Bill Tome Foundation and SETA Foundation also sponsored the team. Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga and Boynton Beach Police Department Chief Joe DeGiulio met with the team before the tournament.
Tome, a longtime Boynton Beach police officer, founded the Boynton Beach PAL program in 1994. The program ended in 2011 due to lack of funding. Tome came out of retirement this year as the program was reinstated with the leadership of City Manager Dan Dugger.
The Boynton PAL program provides assistance to inner city and at-risk youth in school and with after-school programs. Police officers serve as mentors and coaching figures and help provide teens with structure and discipline.
The Necelina McDonald Memorial Foundation basketball tournament has produced former NBA players, including Charlie Villanueva, Chris Taft, Gary Forbes, Sebastian Telfair and Quincy Douby.