By Kim J. Harmon

Wow – what a donnybrook.

What a thriller.

What a great championship game.

Okay, maybe this wasn’t the NCAA and it wasn’t Michigan State or Duke or Iowa State out there on the floor, but the Parks and Recreation Intermediate Girls final between the Suns and the Pacers sure had that championship feel.

The slow start by the defending champs.

The surprising success of the underdogs.

The desperate comeback.

The one shot at the buzzer that could decide everything.

Coaches and players – be it on the NCAA floor or in a park and rec league somewhere – dream about games like this and the 20 or so players, four coaches, and 100 or so fans in the stands got a game like this . . .

The Suns, down 17-10 in the early stages of the fourth quarter of the divisional championship, stage a 10-2 rally to grab a near miraculous 20-19 victory over the Pacers.

Wow.

“The girls showed a lot of character,” said Suns’ head coach Lin Hertberg. “They hung in there and showed a lot of determination and desire. We tried to take it one possession at a time, one defensive stand at a time. It was a very, very exciting final eight minutes.”

For the first 24 minutes, though, it was the Pacers’ show. The Pacers, who finished in sixth place at 3-5 during the regular season, made a surprising run in the playoffs and were more than ready for the Suns, the defending champs, who finished in first place at 8-0.

“The Pacers were well coached and came ready to play,” said coach Hertberg. “They played exceptionally well.”

Gina Bloshuk put the Pacers ahead, 4-0, on two quick, first-quarter baskets. The Suns unleashed the fast break, but couldn’t pull the trigger on a couple of early opportunities. Still, with Kara Whipkey and Becky Huot hitting baskets, the Suns tied the score 4-4 by the end of the first.

But the Pacers went on an 8-1 run to start the second quarter – fueled by two marvelous shots by Rachel Maley – to take a commanding 12-5 lead. The Suns’ only points in that run came from one foul shot by Vicki Thomas.

“We were out of our normal game,” said coach Hertberg. “(The Pacers) did a nice job of clogging the middle and the momentum was definitely there in the first half.”

Tara Gaston banked a shot in with five seconds to go in the first half to help stop the bleeding and trim the Pacers’ lead to 12-7.

The third quarter was a low-scoring, defensive battle that saw just one field goal – a Bloshuk basket in the paint. Gaston hit one free throw for the Suns and Sophie Cerreta hit one for the Pacers and the Pacers held a 15-8 lead at the end of the period.

Jamie Marcucilli started the fourth for the Suns with a basket in the low post off an inbounds play, trimming the Pacer lead to 15-10. But Bloshuk – who finished with eight points on the night – came back with another hoop to put the Pacers ahead 17-10.

Then came the rally.

It started with a bank shot from Moira Collier and then continued with a 10-foot jumper from Thomas and another basket from Collier (with the assist going to Marcucilli on a very nice feed) and all of a sudden the Suns were down just one, 17-16, with 4:05 to go.

Whipkey put the Suns ahead for the first time all game, 18-17, with a 12-foot jumper that touched nothing but the net. But the Pacers – the never say die Pacers – took the lead back with 1:16 left when Cerreta made a steal near half court and moments later rolled in a layup to put the Pacers ahead 19-18.

Yet, it was not over.

With 36 seconds left to play, Whipkey – who finished with six points on the night – drained another 12-footer to put the Suns ahead for good, 20-19. All that was left was a tense defensive stand at the other end of the floor as the Pacers, with five seconds left, tried nearly in vain to work a solid inbounds play.

And the Suns, who have a 24-game winning streak dating back through last season, won their second consecutive Intermediate Girls championship. Coach Hertberg gave credit to all of his kids – Rachel Nicolosi, Danielle Nicolosi, Caitlin O’Connell, Moira Collier, Carly Filler, Becky Huot, Tara Gaston, Jamie Marcucilli, Kara Whipkey, and Vicki Thomas – as well as assistant coach John O’Connell.

“It was a terrific year,” said coach Hertberg.

And so it was.