One Last Time: Springfield North at Springfield South

[SFIND]

By Bryant Billing

All things must come to an end. Sadly, that is what time it is for Springfield North and South. Yes, sadly it is time for the final North/South basketball game. It happens this Friday (February 1), when the North Panthers travel to South's historic Tiffany Gym to take on the South Wildcats.

This game is more than a league contest. It is more than a rivalry game. It is for eternal bragging rights. It is about pride. It is about ending your school's basketball history on a high note. It is about remembering the past. It is about looking forward to the future.

What else, you ask? It's going to be a fun time!

Yes, we've already had the final North/South football game. But if you compare the history of North and South football to North and South basketball you find out one thing: they are historically much better at basketball.

Just take a look at the former players from the schools. Look at the long tournament runs. North and South football can't even come close to that history.

Basketball is even where the rivalry really began.

Yes, North and South were not big rivals in the 1960's. When was the rivalry really made? That would be when South and North played each other back-to-back years in 1973 and 1974. The games were tournament games at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio. They were not just any tournament games, the Dayton district title for Class AAA was up for grabs. They were intense.

South won 70-60 in 1973 under the leadership of future Xavier Musketeer Tony Hubbard. North got revenge the next year when the Panthers won 61-42. North was undefeated that that year (they exact opposite of what they are now), and that win made them 23-0. North lost in the regional tournament to Middletown.

Over 5,500 fans from Springfield packed the sold-out Hobart Arena for each game. Hobart only had 4,500 permanent seats at that time. Many people had to stand in the aisles because of the crowd. Usually Troy High School would sell a couple hundred of tickets to Troy fans for the game. However, due to the high demand from Springfield, Troy sold only 50 tickets each time. The rest went to Springfield.

From there on out, every game between North and South have been heated.

But this year, two completely different teams take the floor. South (8-8), is coming off of a 64-54 win over Beavercreek. The Wildcats have had an average season, but they have remained intact and competitive. Lucas Smith leads South with an average of 13 points a game. Michael Cooper is next with an average of 12 points a game, while Zack Burks averages 10.6 a game. North is a completely different story.

The Panthers (0-15) come into the game on a 36 game losing streak that dates back to the 2005-2006 season. North's most recent loss was a 124-54 loss to the Wayne Warriors. North was competitive in losses to Xenia, Dayton Belmont, and Sidney. The rest of the time they have been manhandled.

So what does the game this Friday hold? Probably another win for South. But don't think for a minute that North won't keep this game closer.

So lets all go down to the second to last game at Tiffany Gym and have a good time. This is a historic moment in the history of Springfield athletics. Don't miss out.

Fun facts: South leads the all-time series 47-22... South has won 23 out of the last 24 games between the two... North last beat South during the 2005-2006 season... That broke a 19 game win streak for South over North... John Carson scored 41 points against North in 1995... Nate Miller Jr. scored 31 against North in 2005... When all the games are combined, South has won by an average of 65-60... Current South head coach Bill Slagle has never lost to North while he has been the head coach.