By Robert Ayala
In the very first quarter of the game, both Gorman and the Cougars were tied for fouls with an even score. Eight total personal regulation breaks in the first five minutes made it all the more tense on the court.
“When it comes to head to head games, free throw shots mean the difference between winning and losing,” Carter Soczek, senior, said.
Both teams made every free throw up until halftime. At halftime, the score was 41-41, bonus to Gorman. The total personal violations was racked up to 16, as both teams were engaged in their heated rivalry.
It was not until the third quarter that Gorman’s hot streak continued, and the Cougars lost their velocity allowing the tie to go to a 12-point lead for Gorman. Forward Will Weems, senior, tried to keep the team’s morale up by encouraging a small comeback towards the end. Making the 12-point lead lag down to a 4-point lead.
“The game isn’t over until it’s over. We got this,” Weems said to his team during a timeout.
The emotion and the pressure was obvious on both sides. Each team, covered in sweat, and exhausted from the long game, worked hard and budded heads all the way to the end.
“I usually don’t go to games, but when I do, it’s the varsity game. I really felt what the players were feeling and my heart goes out to them,” Patrick Madjarian, senior, said.
The final score came out to be 75 to 71 with Gorman taking the end lead. It was a game that packed the stands and kept everyone on their feet, yelling at the referees with the players, and retaining the same emotional level as the Cougs.
