Turnout reflects importance of game

An open seat was nearly impossible to find in the Greenbrier High School gym Friday as the Wolfpack boys battled with Evans in a valuable Region 3B-AAAA game.

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The boys varsity game was scheduled for an 8 p.m. start, but the actual tip-off didn't take place until 8:22 p.m. By that time, the gym had been full for more than two hours.

"We stopped selling tickets at 10 after 6," Greenbrier athletic director Scott Chadwick said.

At that time, the junior varsity boys game was still going on. When the girls varsity game finally started, a line of fans 20-30 people long snaked around the outside of the gymnasium, but their chances of getting in to see the game were slim. If someone inside the gym happened to leave, the next person in line was allowed to pay to get in.

The gym was filled to capacity with fans from both schools. Chadwick said the Greenbrier gym was big enough to hold 1,250 people, and a large portion of the crowd was made up of the two student sections in opposite corners of the gymnasium.

"There was an electricity in the gym," Greenbrier girls basketball coach Garrett Black said. "This is what your high school experience is all about."

The fans who showed up early enough to get a seat watched the Greenbrier girls roll to a 67-33 win over the Lady Knights.

The main event, the Greenbrier boys vs. the Evans boys, didn't disappoint. Fans from both schools got their time and money's worth out of a 61-58 nail-biter that ended with Evans' Jonathan Nicely beating the buzzer to win on a 3-pointer.

Even though the visiting student section flooded the court to celebrate on their rivals' home court, Chadwick said the night ended with no major incidents.