The Lake Shore Boys Varsity Basketball team played the role of spoiler on Friday night as they defeated the Hamburg Bulldogs 59-57 in double overtime at Hamburg.  The Eagles win ruined the Bulldogs bid for the ECIC Division II outright title and put a serious damper on their Senior Night festivities.

The game was a slugfest from the beginning as the teams found themselves deadlocked at 24 at the half.  The Bulldogs took a slim 1 point lead into the fourth quarter where the action really got heated.  With less than two minutes left in the game, a tip-in by senior Dorian Myles gave Hamburg a 48-44 lead.  The Eagles came down and worked the ball around resulting in a 3 point attempt by junior Jason Radwan that was just off the mark.  In the scramble for the rebound, Lake Shore senior Kyle DeNisco dove for a loose ball to keep it alive and tipped it to classmate Billy Petersen.  Petersen was fouled and knocked down both free throws to cut the lead to 48-46 with just 1:05 left.  Hamburg brought the ball down and worked their offense resulting in a jumper from senior Ryan Brunner that bounced of the rim and out of bounds.  Lake Shore rotated the ball to Radwan at the top of the three-point arc.  Radwan drove to the right and was fouled hard sending him to the floor with :36.7 seconds left.  The junior standout in football and baseball went to the line and hit both free throws to knot the score at 48.  The Bulldogs next possession was interrupted by a steal from Eagle sophomore Sean Bellomo, who picked off a pass destined for Hamburg’s 6’9” Blake McLimans.  Lake Shore again found Radwan, who had 7 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, but his 3-point attempt to win the game was blocked by McLimans, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime period, Hamburg won the tap and worked the ball on the perimeter looking to get it inside to McLimans.  The Eagles defense deflected a pass out of bounds.  On the subsequent inbounds play, Bellomo, a 6’4” sophomore, blocked a shot by Hamburg’s Matt Singer, retrieved it and threw it off Singer out of bounds.  The Eagles came down the floor and again put points on the board from the free throw line as DeNisco was fouled and hit both free throws giving the Eagles a 50-48 lead.  DeNisco, who leads the team in scoring averaging 14.8 points a game, was the defensive stalwart on the next possession deflecting the ball to sophomore Erik Marx.  Marx initiated the Eagles break finding DeNisco who forced the Bulldog defense to commit before hitting a driving Radwan on the right side for a lay-in extending Lake Shore’s lead to 4, 52-48.  Both teams traded turnovers before Hamburg senior Chris Needham’s baseline jumper cut the lead to 2.  Lake Shore senior Kurby Driscoll’s baseline jumper missed, but Bellomo was there for the put back.  Hamburg’s standout center, McLimans, had other ideas, and blocked the LSC sophomore’s attempt out of bounds.  DeNisco was again fouled off the inbounds play and hit 1 of his 2 free throws for a 53-50 lead.  The Eagles stole the ball on the defensive end, but gave it right back on a traveling violation.  Hamburg called time out and ran a well executed play for junior Caleb Sarieky who knocked down a three pointer to tie it up at 53 all.  The Eagles again turned the ball over, but their defense held as a last second attempt by Needham just missed and Brunner’s tip-in attempt fell short and we were going to double overtime.

This time the Eagles won the tap, but a DeNisco lay-up was blocked by Brunner and the Bulldogs were off and running.  Lake Shore forced a jump ball, but the possession arrow gave it back to the Bulldogs.  Driscoll made a great defensive play forcing a Hamburg turnover, but the Bulldogs flexed some defensive strength of their own stealing the ball from a driving DeNisco that resulted in an uncontested lay-up for Myles on the other end as they drew first blood in the second overtime, 55-53.  The stifling defense of the Bulldogs again stole the ball from Lake Shore, but the boys from Angola showed a little defensive presence of their own and halted the Hamburg scoring effort getting the ball down the floor to Petersen whose drive and spinning jump hook tied the game at 55.  Hamburg brought the ball down and found Myles on the baseline, but his shot bounced off the rim and Driscoll snared the rebound for the Eagles.  Driscoll was immediately tied up but this time Lake Shore was the benefactors of the possession arrow and they made good on it as Driscoll was fouled on the offensive end.  The 5’10” senior stepped to the line and calmly nailed both free throws for a 57-55 lead.

Both teams again traded turnovers and Hamburg’s next possession was capped off by nifty left handed jump hook by McLimans, over Bellomo tying the score at 57 with just under a minute to play.  The Eagles got the ball to Petersen who again drove the lane fearlessly and was rewarded by being fouled.  The 6’0” forward, hit the first of his two free throws, but the second one bounced off the rim.  Lake Shore’s Bellomo got a hand on the ball and tipped it to Radwan, who pulled it out to reassess the Eagles offensive options.  A flury of action ensued and Lake Shore was able to retain possession and called time-out, only to turn it over on the inbound play.  But the defense of the Eagles was up to the task, as Driscoll and Radwan teamed up to create a turnover that ended up in Driscoll’s hands.  As the Lake Shore senior brought the ball up the floor a desperate Hamburg defense fouled Driscoll.  He went to the line with 3.1 seconds left and made the first attempt giving the Eagles a 59-57 lead, but the second attempt bounced off into the hands of McLimans.  Hamburg coach Pat Cauley called time out and set up and out of bounds play for McLimans.  McLimans shot fell just short and Hamburg would have to wait another day to secure the division title as the Eagles won 59-57 in double overtime.

“It may have been the most exciting game I have been involved in”, noted Lake Shore coach Dan Gerken.  “The Hamburg kids are a classy group and their fans are outstanding.  I have the greatest respect for Coach Cauley and his entire staff and feel privileged to have been a part of such a wonderful exhibit of competition,” added Gerken.  “All this talk about teams leaving so they can sell $250 tickets, you can have them.  We gave a couple hundred fans one hell of an evening of entertainment for a buck!”