DON McCORMACK
Paying a visit to the variety store...
Best to date
Even if the Lakeside Dragons don’t win another game this season, they’ve already raised the bar for the high school in terms of its boys basketball program.
With 16 wins (against but three losses), coach Rob Pisano’s Dragons have already established a school record for the most victories in a season as they head into tonight’s regular-season finale against Premier Athletic Conference foe Riverside at Lakeside Gymnasium.
Now in its ninth year since Ashtabula and Harbor were consolidated to form Lakeside in the fall of 2001, the previous benchmark for most wins by a Dragons boys squad was 15, set last winter. Previous to that season, coach Rick Binder’s back-to-back 13-8 campaigns in his two seasons at the helm (2005-06 and 2006-07) represented the high-water mark for the program.
Fifteen wins remains the best in the history of the Lakeside girls program, done by coach Rob Livingston’s 2006-07 squad.
Tourney trail mix
Speaking of the Dragons, Pisano’s squad will carry the third seed into the Division I sectional-district tournament at Euclid, with an eye toward accomplishing something for the first time in Lakeside basketball history, boys or girls — win a sectional championship.
To do so, Lakeside will need to defeat to PAC rivals — sixth-seeded North (Tuesday, 8 p.m.) and ninth-seeded Geneva (Saturday, March 6 at 6:30), which the Lakeside-North winner will meet in a sectional final.
Speaking of Round III of the Lakeside-North bout, word is there is more than a little bad blood in the water for this one.
Stay tuned.
Just a game
A small Orthodox Jewish school forfeited a consolation game in a Washington state high school basketball tournament so players could safely observe a religious fast.
Northwest Yeshivam elected to forfeit the game Thursday rather than break the “Fast of Esther,” one of five fasts on the Jewish calendar that prohibits eating or drinking anything until nightfall.
School officials said the risk to players not able to rehydrate during the game was unacceptable.
The on-court formalities were brief.
Northwest Yeshiva players, led by coach Jed Davis, shook hands with opposing players and coaches, huddled at their opponent’s free-throw line, had a quick cheer, hugged and walked off the court.
One player cried.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.
