No doubt about it, this past weekend’s Red Bull 2on2 Revolution Tour stop in Philly was the most talented and intense tournament yet. The Boston and New York City events were serious, but the Philly event was absolutely loaded in terms of skill and names.

Teams from all over the city (and a few familiar faces from the NYC tournament) descended on South Philly’s Chew Playground early Saturday morning to battle it out for $2,000. The Philly field was stacked with some old school legends like Bo Kimble and Lewis “Black Magic” Lloyd as well as elite young talent like former DII Player of the Year Tayron Thomas and local playground star Antoine “Do Dirty” Brown. When the smoke cleared, E2 was the last team standing, somehow surviving a brutal tournament and besting several bigger, faster teams on their way to the chip, $2,000, Skullcandy headphones and Kicker iPod stereo equipment.

What they lacked in height (neither player stands much taller than 6-0), Ed Breswell and Ellis Gindraw made up for it with an excess of grit and aggression – qualities that were on full display down the to the end, as the team they beat in the finals, Blue Magic, had them by a good two feet in combined height.

Breswell and Gindraw, friends since middle school and former college teammates, were relentless in their attack all day long, but saved their best for last against Blue Magic. In a stark contrast of styles, E2 relied on a mix of jumpers from Gindraw and slashing drives from Breswell to counter the punishing inside game of Blue Magic’s 6-6 Jarrett Kearse and 6-10 Wayne Marshall, willing themselves to a 22-19 victory in the championship game.

Saturday’s atmosphere was electric. As he’s done all tour long, Boobie Smooth killed it on the mic for the players and hundreds of fans in attendance. By the time the Elite 8 rolled around, the fans were spilling on to the court and hanging on every play.

With several Philly squads committing to play in the Baltimore (August 7th, Cloverdale Playground) and Washington, D.C. (August 21st, Barry Farms Rec Center) Revolution stops, the tournaments and the crowds are only going to get better. Stay tuned for more coverage of what went down in Philly….

Only two stops remain – you can still enter the Baltimore and D.C. brackets! Enter a team to play for $2,000 and other prizes from Power Balance, Skullcandy and Kicker! Email us at REVOLUTION@DIMEMAG.COM, fax us at 212.564.9219, or call us at 347.316.1924.

You can also download registration forms here:

Baltimore – August 7 – Cloverdale Park Basketball Courts

Washington, D.C. – August 21 – Barry Farms Rec Center