Saturday night the stage was set for some of that special magic that can materialize in a sporting event.
The young, upstart Penn Yan Mustang boy’s basketball team, still searching for that elusive first win of the season, was hosting a talented Bath Haverling Ram team that liked to put points on the board in bunches.
But this game also had another special wrinkle. It was an opening night revisited in Penn Yan.
This would be the initial scheduled contest in the new PYA gym. The wraps had been taken off the modern, new facility earlier this month. A large, enthusiastic crowd had filed in to check out the new venue, experience the excitement of another opening night, and to cheer on their young, somewhat undermanned hometown team.
The locals were hoping to christen their “new barn” with a win and were ready to give their favorite Mustangs that extra boost of energy that comes from an excited throng of rooters.
The first quarter featured a couple of nervous teams that seemed to have trouble getting into any kind of rhythm.
The two squads exchanged turnovers and missed shots for the first eight minutes. The first quarter ended with the teams knotted at 9 points each.
The Mustangs seemed to settle down a bit in the second quarter. They improved their shot selection and scoring touch as they outscored the Rams 17-13.
The first half ended with the hometown Mustangs leading 26-22 and feeling that maybe an upset could be had. The partisan crowd enjoyed what they saw.
After an extended halftime that featured some extra opening night activities, the two teams squared off again for another half of basketball action.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, it would be the more experienced Rams that would take control.
Bath gradually took control of the contest as their shooting touch heated up.
They outscored the Mustangs 16-12 in the third quarter to tie the game at 38.
The final eight minutes belonged solely to the Steuben County five. A 24-17 run in the final period salted the game away for the visitors.
The young, fighting Mustangs had given a total effort on the floor and for a short while sensed an upset. But the final tally on the scoreboard would once again come up short for the Orange and Blue. Haverling prevailed 62-55.
Penn Yan’s offense was led by a sophomore and a freshman. Myles Volz scored 17 points to pace the Mustang attack. Freshman Jim Burdette once again looked impressive. The freshman who started the year on J.V.’ s, tallied 16 points, most of them down under the basket. Dakota Denison delivered two big 3-pointers in the first half for Penn Yan.
