The Team Suffolk 9U boys’ basketball squad recently established itself as a top 10 team in the nation, but the squad’s coach Kevin Davis saw the potential for more.

“I felt like we let one slip away from us,” he said.

The local team went 4-4 during the recent Amateur Athletic Union 9U Division II boys’ basketball national championship in Orlando, Fla., reaching the “Elite Eight” and finishing in eighth place.

In terms of the tournament overall, “honestly, I felt that we should have won or we had the potential to win,” Davis said. “I think that the same problems that plagued us throughout the year, losing close games, is why we lost close games down in Florida.”

Team Suffolk had the lead late in all the games it lost during nationals.

“We just didn’t close out games,” Davis said.

Unforced turnovers or unwise fouls turned up as the majority of the issues.

“Our kids just, I don’t know, I think they were shell-shocked from being in the Wide World of Sports in Disney down there,” Davis said.

He noted the moment seemed to be too big for them at times.

“That’s just a learning experience for us to take in consideration.”

The local boys started out strong in pool play, defeating a team called NB Hoops Silk 49-24, then stomping GA Synergy Select 47-6.

Team Suffolk lost its next game 33-31 to Orlando Chaos.

“They were a pretty good team,” Davis said.

His team finished pool play with a 50-13 win over Triple Double Academy. It helped the Suffolk squad take second in its pool and advance to the championship bracket.

“After we got in bracket play, it became tougher,” Davis said, but his team started that phase of the tourney with a 29-27 win over the Treasure Coast Titans. “We were up all game, and we managed to actually pull through and win that one.”

Then, Team Suffolk faced Team Delaware, which went on to win the national championship.

“I think we were down 20 points in the first quarter,” Davis said, but his players fought back. “They were up by six points with two minutes left in the game. So, they did come back from that, and that’s a bright spot there, so that shows that they can play with anybody in the country.”

After that loss, however, the best Team Suffolk could place was fifth. The local boys fell in their final two games to take eighth.

“I really don’t think their heart was in it at that time,” Davis said.

Fueling the team’s success in Florida were what Davis called “unsung heroes.”

Jaylun Boone was the team’s leading scorer in the tournament, and Howard Casterlow, a rising third-grader, was the team’s second-leading scorer.

“He’s the smallest and youngest and Jaylun Boone is the second smallest on the team,” Davis said.

Khalil Caple and Chaevon Torrance were also key contributors for Team Suffolk.

“Those are unsung heroes that came down there and did a phenomenal job,” Davis said.