by Ryan Mosher
Last year at this time the Berlin and Germantown boys basketball teams met in Germantown with a share of the CHVL League title on the line. This year the battle on Tuesday night was for second place.
Just like last year Berlin won the earlier meeting of the two teams early in the season.
Germantown wasted no time in jumping out to a 6-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Berlin clawed back though, but the Clippers’ tandem of Cody Broast and Tommy Griffin could not be stopped on the offensive end. The two combined for 14 of the Clippers’ 19 first quarter points. The Mountaineers managed to score 14 points to stay within striking distance. The second quarter began roughly for Berlin as Germantown scored six unanswered points in the first forty seconds of the period. Finally Brad Deyo scored for the Mountaineers to stop the bleeding. Germantown continued its relentless assault, though, building its lead up to 16 points midway through the quarter. Berlin fought back, scoring the final ten points of the quarter to make the score at the half 36-30.
In the third quarter, the fouls began to take over the game. Combined, the teams shot 23 foul shots in just this quarter. The teams traded baskets and foul shots back and forth for the whole quarter, with Berlin getting as close as four points. Germantown turned up their defensive pressure on the Mountaineers’ top player, Chris Zema, but he responded well, dropping in 12 points in the third quarter to help keep it close. At the end of the quarter, though, Berlin trailed 62-53.
In the final quarter, Berlin outscored the Clippers, 20-16, but that difference would not be enough. Zema added 10 more points in the quarter, but the Mountaineers could not stop Griffin and Broast. Germantown held on for a 78-73 win. Broast and Griffin had 28 and 26 points for the Clippers. Berlin did have a few bright spots, though. Zema netted 33 points, including 22 in the second half, to go along with his 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Drew Webster may only have scored 4 points, but he also dished out 7 assists and made 3 steals. The Mountaineers have just two regular season games remaining. This Thursday is their senior night against Waterford, and then Friday they travel to Heatly to close out the season.