More on Saturday's game

One of the dangers when you get into the post-season is the possibility of playing a team that you have already played and beaten badly a couple of times and getting officials who are very inconsistent in how they call a game.

Before a large crowd of local fans at Middletown High School, the Tide overcame both to advance to the District 3 Class AA semi-finals, with a 72-43 win over L-L League Section 4 foe Pequea Valley.

The Tide will now play Trinity in the semi-finals on Wednesday at the Giant Center at a tip-off time still not announced. The winner will play for a District 3 championship on Friday night, back at the Giant Center at 6:45 against either Delone Catholic or Milton Hershey.

The win also qualified the Tide for the PIAA playoffs as well.

First, the playing of an opponent that you hae already beaten badly twice. That's what the Tide did during the regular season against Pequea Valley. On Dec. 19, Columbia crushed the Braves at home, 76-38. About a month later in front of the "Red Zone," the Tide was an 83-60 winner.

So there was the danger of a letdown, already having beaten a team badly twice.

After one quarter, thanks to a 6-0 spurt at the beginning of the game, Columbia led 19-13.

PV stayed in the game in the second quarter. At one point, the Braves were behind 30-27 late in the half, but the Tide closed on a 6-0 run to take a 36-27 at the break.

Now, the other factor. The officials, who were from Berks County (remember, the Tide had its hands full with Berks officials in the finals of the Tulpehocken Tournament against Milton). They did again on Saturday. Why? Well, as I'd said before, each chapter calls games differently. You know when you gets Berks and York officials, they basically don't let teams play. At one point in the second quarter, Columbia had eight fouls call against them to one for Pequea Valley.

Adam Pittman had three and four others players had two fouls each.

But as much as the whistles were blowing from the officials in the first half, they must have put them in their pockets at break. There were no fouls called in the third quarter until there was 1:31 left. In fact, there were only about a half dozen foul called in the second half.

Now, let's get back to the game.

Mike Seibert quickly opened the second half scoring for the Tide to push the lead up to 11 and after Matt Schatzmann drained a lone three-pointer, PV was back within eight with 6:46 left in the quarter.

It would be as close as PV would get the rest of the wy. Pittman and Seibert combined for the next nine Columbia points and when Yahya McIntyre went over the top for a steal and lay-up, Columbia was ahead 47-34 with 4:34 left in the quarter.

A buzzer beater from Seibert gave the Tide a 55-36 lead after three quarters.

The difference, Columbia made some adjustments on defense.

Basically the game was in the win column with eight minutes left.

In the fourth quarter, the Tide milked the clock for minutes at a time. Among the points during the "milking session" was a slam by Ryan Hess with three minutes left that put the Tide ahead 66-43.