Pandemonium at the Gardens was how referee Sean Glanville described the heated action during the Williams Lake Men’s Basketball League double header at the Columneetza gymnasium last Wednesday.
The Black Foresters found themselves down 14 points late in the first half of the opener against the undefeated Team White.
Bhavan Mann had started on a red hot long-range spree, hitting seven of his first eight three-point attempts, scoring 23 points in the first quarter of the contest.
The Foresters used relentless rebounding to cut the deficit to seven by halftime, then opened the second half with a tight perimeter defence.
With a balanced attack and inside size they knotted the game at 52, then held on for a 63-57 come-from-behind upset victory.
White team captain Mann finished with 32 and rookie Mokam Mahil chipped in 17 points for the losers.
Greg Spence, Matt Kazanowski and Jason Ward all hit for double digits for the Foresters.
In the nightcap the Foresters were pitted against the winless Team Red and again found themselves down by four after a low-scoring half.
Revitalized by the return of their captain, Travis Nystoruk, the Foresters woke up late in the second half and pulled even with a few minutes to play.
They managed to overcome the explosive scoring of Willie Hardeman to edge ahead for another come-from-behind win, 53-49.
After the evening’s close two matches, Black and White are tied atop the standings with three wins and a loss each, while Red remains mired in the basement with four losses.
