Tuesday turned out to be anything but your average night for local basketball games.
One game was stopped and another was moved to a different gym because the unusually warm January weather caused condensation problems.
Another game had to delay its start because of an exuberant crowd and the pregame whiteout ritual with talcum powder.
Basically, there was no harm, no foul, but it made for a slightly strange night.
McHenry defeated Marian Central, 52-45, in girls basketball in a game played in two gyms. The first half was played in Marian’s main gym, but condensation from a box near the ceiling caused water to drip in two spots on the floor.
At halftime, administrators decided to move the game to Marian’s old gym next door.
“We had to keep wiping it up, so we just moved it at halftime,” Hurricanes athletic director Mike McGovern said. “You have to be flexible. I’m trying to get some outdoor courts.”
McGovern said the maintenance staff was investigating what caused the dripping, although the 60-degree temperatures had something to do with it, which is something they may not face again this winter.
Faith Lutheran’s boys basketball team lost to Westminster Christian, 35-18, in a game that was called at halftime. The Saints play their home games at Immanuel Lutheran Elementary School and condensation was building up on the floor.
“We think it had a lot to do with the humidity,” Faith AD Drew Potthoff said. “The floor’s on a concrete slab and water started beading up. It’s not our building, so we couldn’t adjust anything.”
In the Crystal Lake Central at Woodstock boys basketball game, the start was delayed when the whiteout before the game left the floor of James M. Shipley Memorial Gymnasium with too much residue from the talcum powder.
For about 5 minutes, the floor was wiped up so it was safe for the players and officials.
“Crystal Lake Central and us are great friends,” Woodstock AD Glen Wilson said. “We wanted to ensure the safest environment for both teams. We will not embark on that again.”
This is not meant to pick on Blue Streaks’ fans, who have been excellent supporting a team having its best season since 2001. Woodstock’s cheering section at Central earlier this month was huge and loud, and the Streaks knocked off Central, 54-53. They also have adopted a nice postgame tradition of lining up on the court and having the players walk by and shake hands.
Whiteouts are the latest rage at sporting events, so the Streaks’ fans were not really acting out against anyone. Both sides handled the situation well, and the tipoff was just a few minutes late.
The first three quarters provided great drama and a tied score, but Central took over in the fourth and exacted its revenge, 54-38.
• Joe Stevenson is a senior sports writer for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by email at joestevenson@shawmedia.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @nwh_JoePrepZone.
