The record was a modest one.

The achievement was not.

The Portersville Christian School boys varsity basketball team captured the Division IV championship at the National Invitational Christian Tournament in Erie earlier this month.

The Warriors won four games to earn the title, despite entering the event with an overall record of 10-12.

"I knew we had a chance to win the tournament," said Portersville coach Bob Cummins. "We finished runner-up last year and most of our losses this year came early in the season.

"The boys seemed to be coming together at the right time."

The Warriors finished third in the Southwest Christian Athletic Conference's northern division before losing to Wilson Christian Academy (West Mifflin) in the first round of the conference tournament.

The two teams met once again in the opening game at the Division IV tourney in Erie, which began March 9.

"I knew we had the talent to beat them," said Cummins. "We had defeated them in the regular season and were up late in the (conference) playoff game before losing."

The coach's belief in his team was well-warranted, as Portersville led 34-22 at halftime and won 58-51 behind senior Josh Aikens' 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Justin McCandless then dropped 26 points on Warren County (Pa.) Christian in a 54-33 second-round win.

The third game saw the Warriors ride a 21-12 advantage in the third quarter to a 60-50 win over Oaktree Academy (Va.).

Portersville then closed out its title run with a 53-44 triumph over Johnstown Christian.

One of the keys for the Warriors was a defense that gave up just 44.5 points per game.

For seniors John Whitcomb, Ben Smith, Jordan Everett and Aikens, it was their final game in a Warriors' uniform.

Aikens was a two-year starter for Portersville and averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game this year.

McCandless, a junior, was the Warriors MVP this season and was named to the All-Tournament Team in Erie after averaging 15.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in the four games.

He will enter his senior campaign next fall just 69 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

Cummins recently announced that this past season will be his last of coaching the Warriors after five years of leading the team. He was assisted this year by Frank Santoro and Paul Harbison.

"I'm going out on top," he said. "It was a great ride."