Five memorable YAIAA hoops games
The end of the basketball regular season is right around the corner and there is plenty of exciting basketball ahead, but lets take a look back at some of the most memorable games of the year so far.
Spring Grove vs. William Penn, December 19
Round one of the Rockets versus the Bearcats lived up to the hype. Eli Brooks dropped 34 points in Spring Grove’s 84-74 win and it was the first time since the 2001-2002 campaign that the Rockets had defeated William Penn. Add to the mix the back-and-forth pace to the game and the raucous atmosphere in the gymnasium that night, and you easily have one of the best games in the early part of the season.
Delone Catholic vs. York Catholic (Girls), January 5
It was a battle for first place between two perennial powerhouses in Division III that had to go to overtime to find a winner. With the Fighting Irish Down by one, Jania Wright tied the game off a free throw with no time remaining. The Squirettes Went on a 6-2 run to open the extra period and they eventually won 53-49. Katie Laughman had a 20 point night for Delone and helped hold York Catholic’s Kate Bauhof to just five points.
Northeastern vs. Central York, January 9
The whole league was buzzing about the monster jam that Kobi Nwandu had in Northeastern’s prior game heading into their dual with Central York the next night. Being played as part of the Donnie Swartz Memorial Classic, the game was held at York College and the fans packed the house. The student sections chanted at one another the whole night and the two teams put on a strong performance on the court. Nwandu left with 19 points and helped lead a second half surge for the Bobcats and Panthers star Jared Wagner had a 24 point night.
Spring Grove vs. Dallastown, January 12
Eli Brooks put up arguably his best performance of the year against Dallastown in the 55-54 overtime win. He hit six shots from beyond the arc and helped the Rockets rally back to force the game to an extra period. There the junior hit the game-winning basket with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. In addition to the late game heroics, Brooks finished the contest with 33 points and the Rockets left with their ninth win of the year.
Dallastown vs. Red Lion, January 15
When the overtime buzzer sounded, the Red Lion student section stormed the court to celebrate the win over rival Dallastown. To start off the game didn’t seem like it would be a memorable one, but the second half changed that as Dallastown spearheaded a comeback in the third quarter and early in the fourth. The Wildcats took a brief lead before the Lions answered back and the two side traded baskets. The game eventually ended up in overtime where some clutch free throw shooting secured the Red Lion win.