The script for this game was almost written perfectly, except for the ending.
The scene was set for a spectacular send off for the old Penn Yan Academy gym. In the final game played at PYA’s 46-year- old court, the hometown Mustangs and the visiting Indians from Waterloo had battled to a 55-55 tie after Penn Yan’s Nate Nichols drained a clutch free throw with just three ticks left on the scoreboard clock.
Here’s where the movie script writers would have figured a dream-like finish with the hometown boys prevailing. But this was not a movie.
Unfortunately, for the Mustang cagers and the final night crowd of Orange and Blue rooters, the result rapidly turned into thoughts of “what might have been.”
Waterloo’s Tim Young nailed a desperation 25- foot three-pointer at the buzzer to evaporate the Penn Yan dreams of a last second final win at the venerable old gym.
The clock read triple zeroes and the painful score showed the visiting tribe 58 and the hometown Mustangs 55.
Both teams played very well in this tightly contested game before a large, nostalgic crowd which included a number of former coaches and players.
Waterloo jumped to a 31-24 lead at halftime. But a determined, spunky Mustang hardwood quintet really wanted to bring this win home for the hometown crowd.
They outscored the Indians 23-16 in the third quarter to pull within one point with the final eight regulation minutes remaining.
The two teams exchanged buckets in the final stanza with each team trying to jockey for an advantage.
When Nate Nichols connected on the charity throw with just three seconds left, Penn Yan had come back all of the way. But the euphora of this moment was short-lived. This time real life did not follow the perfect script.
The young Mustangs lost this game on the scoreboard. But their effort was complete. They played well and are starting to show improvement.
The only thing that unfortunately came up short was the final score. Nate Nichols was the top scorer for Penn Yan with 21 points. Myles Volz added 15 points while Ryan Morehouse and Anthony Luppino contributed 8 points each. Penn Yan’s record falls to 0-5 overall, 0-4 in the Finger Lakes East, with the Christmas break rapidly approaching.
The final curtain rang down on the old Penn Yan gym after Friday’s game.
The gym’s future will be as a reconstructed classroom suite. Starting in January the Mustangs will be moving into their new home gym on the school’s north side.
