As the crowd chanted "just like football", the Oakfield-Alabama basketball team was looking wrap up a huge win and a second straight Genesee Region League Division I title.
The Hornets played some great defense against the Pembroke stars and gave coach Gary Kurkowski - who returned after a long hiatus from coaching varsity - a division title with a 61-39 win over Pembroke Wednesday.
The two teams have been powerhouses in football in recent years and O-A won the GR title outright by going undefeated this past fall. Many of those kids that played football, won another title in basketball with the win.
The Oakfield gym was packed and the atmosphere was just like the big-time football games the two squads play.
But this was nothing like the close games the football team plays. The Hornets dominated this contest from the start.
O-A built a 19-11 lead after one period of play as the defense of Noah Seward and Tim Smith was keeping Pembroke stars Ken Babcock and Andrew Wright in check for the most part.
Smith was a shooting machine in the first half.
He drained three 3-pointers and scored 11 of his 17 points to lead the Hornets to a 32-21 halftime lead.
Seward took on the scoring duties in the second half with 12 of his 20 points.
The final blow in the contest came early in the fourth quarter as Smith started it off with a basket and Sam McCracken scored five straight points to give his squad a 53-33 lead. O-A wound up outscoring Pembroke 15-6 in the final frame.
Seward had 12 rebounds to go with his points and Smith had five assists and four steals to go with his 17 points. Brad Riner was held scoreless but dished out seven helpers, with A.J. Kehlenbeck scoring eight points and Tyler Tamblin adding seven.
Babcock scored 20 points for Pembroke (11-7), who will be playing Wilson at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans League Showdown on Saturday. Steve Moser scored eight points and Wright was limited to just five.
Oakfield-Alabama (16-2) will be playing Akron in what is going to be the showcase game of the showdown right after the Pembroke game.
