General McLane 60 McDowell 57

If this was any indication of what this basketball season is going to be like, we better all strap in and hang on for a great ride! Two powerhouses from D10, AAAA McDowell and AAA General McLane, squared off in the opener at the Hamot Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the Fairview Tigers.

I was greeeted at the ticket booth by some very nice folks from the Fairview Athletic Boosters who promptly let me in free. Who says we are in a recession? It was very much appreciated and I might add that this is a very well run Tournament. My hat is off to those who make it possible and the long list of sponsors.

The first half ended 21-21 as each team played very hard nosed defense. McDowell was a bit intimidating to me because of their size but not to the scappy boys of McLane who even won the opening tip. Both of these teams are very well coached and it really shows on the defensive end of the floor. Bryan Baumgartner led the Lancers with 8 points in the half while Jason Keim led the Trojans with 10.

The first half was about defense and the second half was about who could get the hot hand first and there was no doubt who caught fire first. GM's Dom DiVito was it as he poured in 2's and 3's from all over. He had 8 points in both the third and fourth quarters building a Lancers lead to 11 at the 2:18 mark of the 4th quarter. Dom finshed as the games high scorer with 20 points.

At this point McDowell could have just conceded knowing they will get another shot at them in a few days but not these "never say die" Trojans. They started using their fouls and sending GM to the line where the Lancers where missing the front end of their One and one's. The tactic worked well enough to give the Trojan's the ball out of bounds with 4 seconds left on the clock with the score at 60-57. Jason Keim led McDowell with 18 points followed by Mychal Molnar with 10. A halfcourt + shot just fell short of the rim to secure the win for McLane and all their fans could be heard letting out a huge sigh of relief. Congrats to the Lancers who will face the Hickory team in the Championship round on Saturday evening.

Now to the really important stuff. My trip to the concession stand. I recieved a tip that the chili was excellent and imported from the Avonia Tavern. Taste testing being my specialty, off I went for chili. Well, the chili was superb and served with grated cheese and a piece of Bread that was simply heavenly. I was informed that the bread was baked by a father of a Fairview player.

A+ to the Chili and bread combo and I will be looking at the schedule to see when I can come back for this well run and friendly concession stand.

The BigSkinny Player of the Game goes to the smooth shooting guard of GM, Dom DiVito.