Mountain Valley Rec League Champions, Hotel Rumford. In front, from left, are Kevin Prevost, Matt McCarthy and Kalen Chase. In back are J.T. Taylor, Eric Canwell, Tom Danylik, and Scot New. Absent is Craig Milledge. Submitted photo

RUMFORD — Hotel Rumford defeated Smart Care PT 94-87 to capture the Mountain Valley Recreation Basketball League championship.

Hotel Rumford (15-2) went out to an early lead and led most of the first half, gaining a 10-point lead and then surrendering most of it to Smart Care (13-4) by halftime, 47-46. Kalen Chase and Tom Danylik did most of their damage. Cody St Germain, league scoring leader, and Clay Sweat kept Smart Care well within striking distance.

The lead swung back and forth for a lot of the second half with The Hotel again gaining a double-digit lead thanks to a strong second half from Taylor and Eric Canwell. St Germain heated up for Smart Care in the second half and led his team back to within a basket. But tough defense by Hotel Rumford, a couple of ill-advised shots, and a few turnovers from Smart Care led to the victory for Hotel Rumford.

Chase had 29 points, and Danylik added another 24 points for Hotel Rumford. JT Taylor had 18 points and some nice assists and Eric Canwell provided good inside defense, and rebounding and contributed 16 more.

St Germain had a game-high 40 points for Smart Care while Sweat had 12 points.