Game 11: Williamsfield vs. Galva (Boy's)

Game 11
Williamsfield vs. Galva
Date: (11/23/09)
Williamsfield Thanksgiving Tournament

The final game of a tripleheader at the Thanksgiving Tournament in Billtown. Longtime head coach Bob Anderson leads the Billtown Bombers. Anderson holds over 500 career victories at the tiny school (enrollment: 75). Williamsfield has one of the biggest, neatest small school gyms. I also like the broadcast setup, which is set right above the scorers table and one of the benches. I strategically placed the broadcast table directly behind one of the benches, to give listeners an insiders perspective from what's going on along the sidelines.

Following the radio game between Monmouth-Roseville and United, I needed to swap out equipment of this IHSSN broadcast. I also needed to fill out the scorebook for the finale. In between, I caught glimpses of the middle game (Henry vs. Biggsville West Central). With all that work, you better believe I made time to get down to the always-delicious Williamsfield Tournament hospitality room.

The organizers at WHS do a fantastic job through the tournament's run at the hospitality room. I first dove into the dessert, which was a very good chocolate cake. Then, for the main course, the pulled pork barbecue sandwiches....exquisite. I even found a way to put a barbecue stain in my scorebook, LOL. Williamsfield has hosted this tournament since 1982.

Back in the broadcast booth, we were on the air. The Bombers are very low on depth, and will play 6 players the entire game. Really, the starters go the entire game, and the 6th man will play sparingly. Alex Ott is a standout, a now senior. Teammate Justin Ingle is the other go-to, just a sophomore. He was very impressive last year as a freshman.

The final lines for those two. Alex Ott: 30 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals. Justin Ingle: 27 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals. For Galva, Jake Verstraete put up 24 points and 10 rebounds, and had a great second half.

The Galva Wildcats pushed and pushed in the third quarter, trimming a 15-point deficit to 3, but the Bombers pulled ahead by double digits going into the fourth quarter. Galva closed to within four points midway through the final frame, but Billtown hung on for the (72-63) win.

I made a mistake on the drive home. With garmin in tow (only to find the quickest route, and to see my estimated time of arrival), it directed me past the Knoxville McDonalds. Not a good choice for a slightly hungry broadcaster. I also wanted to stay awake for a few hours to update the IHSSN scoreboard. An 11 p.m. coffee is not the best choice for a 5 a.m. wakeup call. I got the scoreboard updated to my liking, staying awake past 1:30, but the caffeine stayed in my body and I was able to put together about three hours or less of sleep, making for a long Tuesday and broadcast #12.

The Quest File Notes
Game 11
Date: (11/23/09)
Result: Williamsfield hangs on to down Galva (72-63), led by stat leaders Alex Ott and Justin Ingle
Location: Williamsfield
Miles: Already here after the first game