PARIS — The Oxford Hills Vikings, a team from Oxford Hills Middle School, took home the Junior Swish-Out Championship. The Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge, coordinated by Maine’s credit unions, took place Jan. 29, at USM in Gorham.

The largest field of teams in the 18-year history of the Dr. Noel Paradise Memorial Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge, presented by Maine’s credit unions, helped the event to set a new fundraising record by raising $28,149 for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Maine’s longest running benefit basketball tournament, the event featured three divisions. The tournament’s 18-year total raised is nearly $230,000.

The tournament field was comprised of 40 co-ed teams of adults from organizations, businesses and families from around southern, central and eastern Maine, and six co-ed teams of middle school students from towns across southern and western Maine.

On the court, V-Tec Learning Center of South Portland won the Elite Division championship, its sixth straight first-place finish in the event, with Wright Express of South Portland, cPort Credit Union of Portland, Scarborough and Augusta, and CGI of Scarborough rounding out the top four.

In the Just For Fun Division, K.L.R. (In memory of Kristin Lynn Ready) of Portland beat out all other contenders to win the championship, with Simps & Bros. of Bath, 320ink of Cumberland, and CTI of Falmouth, the other top four finishers in the division.

The winner of Junior Swish-Out was the Oxford Hills Vikings, with Greely, Portland Saints and Portland B-Ballers completing the top four in that division.

Tournament founder and director, Jon Paradise, governmental and public affairs manager for the Maine Credit Union League, said the event is a testament to the sponsors, participants, volunteers and spectators.

Paradise, who added his father’s name to the event after he passed away in July 2004, said that the event was founded with the purpose of helping kids with cancer and their families and it has not wavered from that purpose. “In 1994, we started with seven teams and raised a little over $500 and, now, we have an expanded format with more teams than ever, a record number of sponsors and we set a new record again this year, even as the economy remains uncertain and challenging for many people and businesses.”