February 1-3

Not much going on Wednesday or Thursday save for a lunch visit with Jenny. On Friday it was basketball night at McCaskey as Manheim Township visited for the big first-place showdown. After eight consecutive wins Dame Fortune was not with JPM on this night, it took two overtime periods but MT prevailed 79-75. The Red Tornado trailed by three in the dying seconds of regulation time, Diante Cherry hit a clutch three-pointer to force the extra session. In OT both teams had their chances, Township cashed in at the right time and earned the win fair and square. Four players hit double figures for JPM but it was all for naught. The loss drops us to 11-3 in the league, two games behind MT with two to play. There is still the chance of a tie for the division and a one-game playoff, we would have to win our last two (possible) and MT would have to lose their last two (unlikely). At the very worst we'll still qualify for league playoffs as the second-place finisher in our division, our first-round game would be against either Donegal or Lampeter-Strasburg on their floor (quarterfinal league playoffs are hosted by the four division champions). If it all shakes out the right way we could see MT again for the league title but that's a long way off. Right now the main concern is the upcoming games on Monday at home against Cedar Crest and Wednesday at Hempfield. Take care, thanks for reading.