Dec 11, 2002 By Kevin Harrison For The 4 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – The Geibel Catholic-Frazier boys basketball rivalry heated a chilly December night, treating the fans to a thriller. The Gators and the Commodores battled into overtime, where Geibel put together a run to take a 76-63 win over the Commodores.

It didn’t matter that it was a non-section game, the night belonged to the kids and their fans. Students from both schools engaged in lively banter across the gym during timeouts, keeping the intensity of the game at a high level.

Both coaches came away pleased with the efforts of their squads.

Geibel coach Ken Misiak was a little relieved to pick up the win.

“I am very happy to win this one. This was a typical Geibel-Frazier basketball game,” he said. “Both teams came ready to play tonight. We were able to hit some shots in overtime when we had to, and got the win.”

Frazier coach P.J. Malloy was pleased with his squad’s efforts despite the loss.

“Games don’t get much better than this,” he said. “Both teams went back and forth from start to finish. In the overtime period, they made the plays needed to win the game and we didn’t.”

The fans got a sense they were in for a treat by the end of the first quarter. Frazier(1-4),opened the game on a three-pointer by freshman Will Bronson. The Gators (2-2), stormed back with seven straight points on two baskets by Jordan White, with one of those being a three-pointer, and a basket by Rob Ramsey.

Frazier came back on two baskets by Riely Tidholm and another basket by Bronson to take a 9-7 lead.

Two foul shots by Geibel’s Zack Leonard tied the game. The first quarter ended in a 12-all tie as White hit a three for Geibel, and Bronson added another basket, and Steve Erdely hit a foul shot for the Commodores.

In the second quarter, Frazier outscored Geibel 17-15. Erdely and Ryan Keebler did most of the damage for Frazier in that quarter. Erdely had a trey to go along with a basket and a foul shot for a six-point quarter.

Keebler also had six points for the Dores with two baskets and two from the line.

Ramsey started to heat up for the Gators with four straight from the line and basket for a six-point quarter.

However, Frazier held a slim 29-27 lead at the half.

“I’ve got to respect Frazier, because they were ready to play tonight,” Misiak said. “I told the kids before the game, it’s Frazier-Geibel, It’s dog-eat-dog, and that’s what it was tonight.”

The gnashing of teeth continued into the third quarter with a 40-point explosion between the clubs.

Tidholm hit for six for Frazier. T.J. Martinak added five, Bronson dropped in four, plus another trey from Erdely and basket by Keebler.

“I saw some encouraging signs from my kids tonight,” Malloy said. “Erdely is becoming more confident offensively. Inside, Tidholm, Bronson and Keebler are starting to realize what they can do. When they play together, they provide a tough matchup for a lot of teams.”

For the Gators, Ramsey dropped in two three-pointers, White added another trey, Jeremiah Voithofer came off the bench with four points, Dale Speggen dropped in four more and Travis Welc scored three, which left the score at 49-47 in favor of Frazier after three quarters of play.

In the fourth quarter, the Gators outscored the Dores 11-9 to send the game in to overtime.

In that fourth period, Ramsey score six and White collected five for the Gators. Erdley had seven of the nine Frazier points in the quarter. The score stood at 58-all at the end of regulation play.

In the overtime period, Geibel went on an 16-5 tear to take the win. Erdely opened the overtime period with a basket. Geibel score the next 15 points to put the game out of reach.

“It was an entertaining game, but it was very hard on my nerves,” said Misiak.

On the other side, Frazier’s Malloy was pleased with the effort he saw.

“We have some guys starting to realize their potential,” Malloy said. “Even though we lost, I look at this game as a positive step for our team before we open section play next week.”

Sophomore Ramsey led the Gators with a game-high 26-points. He was backed by White with 24 and Speggen with 10.

Erdely paced Frazier with 19. He was backed by Tidholm with 12, Bronson with 11 and Keebler with 10.

Geibel opens Section 2-A play this Friday at Avella. Frazier will face Chartiers-Houston this Friday before it opens Section 3-A play next week.