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Championship at stake.
Hostile environment.
Just another manic Monday?
Maybe, but Dylan Brossman had been there before, at least in his mind's eye.
"I've imagined it a lot when I've been in my backyard practicing," Cocalico's junior guard said. "But it's never the same (as the real thing)."
Monday night was real enough. With first place in L-L Section Three on the line at Lampeter-Strasburg, Brossman stepped to the free-throw line with 6.1 seconds left. He sank the first shot, missed the second.
And when Taylor Groff's countering catch-and-shoot jumper from the top of the arc with three seconds left fell short and was cradled in the paint by Eagles forward Kevin Antol, Brossman's free throw had proved decisive in Cocalico's 42-41 win.
"We held on," head coach Travis Wealand said with a sigh following a victory that gave Cocalico a one-game lead over L-S with two games left in the regular season.
Weather permitting, Cocalico (11-3 L-L, 14-6 overall) meets Manheim Central tonight and Donegal on Wednesday. L-S (10-4, 14-6) faces Northern Lebanon tonight and Central on Wednesday.
The Eagles are seeking their second straight section title and fourth since repeating in 2005-06. The Pioneers are looking for their first championship since winning Section Two in 2002. They finished in a three-way tie for second last season in Section Three.
If Cocalico and L-S finish the season tied for first, a one-game playoff would be held to decide the title. Both teams have clinched berths in the L-L playoffs that begin next Tuesday.
"They were yelling that they're section champs," L-S coach John Achille said. "But not yet. They still have to win two games, OK?"
A section playoff is something the Eagles were hoping to avoid by taking care of business at L-S.
"This is a tough environment to play in," Wealand said. "But our guys enjoy the competitive atmosphere."
It showed. Cocalico led for much of the game and by as much as eight (30-22) midway through the third following a corner 3-pointer from Earvin Johnson (team-high 12 points). The fourth quarter, however, was a different story. Four lead changes highlighted the final eight minutes.
Taylor Groff, who scored a game-high 14, tied matters at 41 with 2:20 left. Yet despite repeated drives and jumpers, neither side scored again from the field.
"This was the game we wanted, but we didn't shoot well," Achille said. "Give them credit. They played good defense."
Unlike their previous meeting, won by L-S, 66-60, in overtime Jan. 13 at Cocalico, Monday's game was a defensive struggle. Paced by 3-pointers from Brossman, Kyle Rissell and Matt Carty, Cocalico led 13-8 at the close of the first quarter and 22-18 at halftime.
Fueled by Tyrone McFadden, Taylor Groff, Jordan Groff and Garrett Terrell, the Pioneers posted a flurry of nine unanswered points to start the second quarter. L-S led 17-14 after holding Cocalico scoreless from the floor for the first five minutes of the second quarter.
Brossman (10), Johnson and Cody Bransby countered for Cocalico, which carried a four-point lead into the break.
Paced by Taylor Groff's 12 second-half points, L-S owned a 23-20 scoring advantage in the second half and tied the game at 41 before falling on Brossman's free throw.
"We were pumped up, ready to go," Brossman said. "We wanted this one."
