[Squid]

There wasn't a whole lot of "nice" to it.

The officials (as a crew) struggled badly. Very badly. The calls effected both teams, and I'm sure that the fans on both sides of the gym would back that up.

Lewis played very well, but couldn't finish the deal. Riley played like a man underneath. He took a couple of ill advised 3's, and he had a walk at a crucial moment, but other than that, he played an excellent game. The guards from Lewis played well, but were hampered by foul trouble all night long. There were so many phantom calls in the game, it's hard to tell just how many fouls any player suffered from, but I'm sure that it effected how Lewis played the game.

On Ashland's side of the ledger, the first half was a lesson in "how to get beat on the boards". Lewis got putback after putback, and they built a nice lead at the half. At the same time, Ashland's guards were struggling. Flashes of good play, but the shooting was hard to watch.

Ashland whittled away at the Lewis lead, and the last three minutes of regulation were pretty good basketball. Lewis had a chance to win it at the end, but really couldn't get a good look as time ran out.

In the OT, Delaney finally found the range (after taking a nasty spill), and the Tomcats snuck out with a win that they will take, but not be bragging about any time soon.

If Lewis plays like they did in the first half, they are going to be a serious problem for anyone on their schedule. Hampton (the Lewis Co. coach) does an excellent job of getting the absolute most from his kids.

Last note - just before the game, the seniors on Ashland's team handed the Lewis Co. coach a check, to be used to help cover the medical costs of the Terrence Smith, the Lewis County guard that was injured in the car wreck. Hampton got a little choked up, but it was one of those really good moments in sports, where the games take a back seat to real life. I think all of the teams in the 16th region are going to do the same thing.