New Lothrop - The Hornets came into the game undefeated, 14-0 and running through teams like a buzz saw.  Even with all of that, New Lothrop was just one game up on the 2nd place Hamady Hawks.  One slip up tonight on their home floor and we have a deadlocked tie in the Genesee Area Blue. 

The two GAC Blue heavyweights were feeling each other out early.  After three and a half minutes, both teams had put only two points on the board.  After Hamady took their first lead of the game at 6-4, Brent Ruddy answered immediately from downtown, reclaiming the lead 7-6.  With things nodded up again at 8, the Hornets closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run.  Kyle Moore's basket with time running out in the first, put them up 13-8.

The 2nd quarter was by far the most exciting and saw momentum change hands back and forth.  The first half of the 2nd period belonged to New Lothrop as they built the biggest lead of the game for either team at 20-14.  Hamady stormed back on a 11-3 run, sparked by a three which cut the lead to 2 and the go ahead basket laid in by Nate Reese, putting the Hawks up by 2 with just 35 seconds to go.  New Lothrop's Ryan Praski tied it up with two free throws from the line.  With 10 seconds remaining, Jason Kneiper put the Hornets back up by two, which stood up going into the half.  The 25-23 lead by the Hawks would be the last lead of the game for Hamady.

The Hornets smothering defense held Hamady scoreless for the first 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter, while adding to their lead on a 7-0 run which put the score at 34-25.  New Lothrop was able to maintain control throughout the quarter up until the waning moments when the Hawks managed to cut it to 3 points on a Thomas Nalls bucket with 40 seconds to go.  Brandon Baryo answered the Hawks score with a basket of his own to put the Hornets up 45-40 after three.

Just as they did in the third, the Hornets started quickly with 5 unanswered points, pushing the lead to 10 at 50-40.  The Hornets could get no closer than six as New Lothrop continued to build upon their lead until it hit as many as 60 on a Mike Vincke basket.  Vincke finished with a team high 16 points, including three buckets from three point land.  Monroe Murphy nailed a three to bring the Hawks back to within 8 with a minute thirteen to go, however it was too little too late.  Forced to foul with little time remaining, the Hornets cashed in at the free throw line to ice it.  When the final buzzer had sounded, New Lothrop moved two full games ahead of both Hamady and Bentley with the 11 point 69-58 victory.

Hamady not only had the best chance to catch New Lothrop, they may have been the only team that legitimately had a shot at knocking off the first place Hornets.  The 11 point win Friday Night was actually the closest margin of victory that New Lothrop has had all year in the Blue.  The only team to come closer than that was GAC Red power Goodrich, who lost by 7 earlier in the season.  The Hornets biggest challenge of the year that's left on the calendar will most likely come on the last day of the regular season when they host Bentley.  Hamady goes to Bentley next Tuesday, which has a good chance to wrap up 2nd place for the winner.  I see a lot of potential in both of these teams to succeed next month in the tourney.  Hamady has all of the skill and athleticism that you would want in a team.  New Lothrop on the other hand is just so fundamentally sound and precise.  Mix that in with some talented players of their own and you have a recipe for success.  By the end of March we will find out just how big of a prize that recipe yields.