The Game of the Year in the Lancaster-Lebanon Boys' Basketball League had ended just minutes earlier Friday night, and McCaskey coach Steve Powell was not discounting the possibility that the Red Tornado could rematch with Section One rival Manheim Township in the upcoming league playoffs.

"That's fine with me, if that would be the case," said Powell, whose squad dropped a pulsating, 79-75 double-overtime decision to the Blue Streaks on its home court.

The loss marked McCaskey's second to Township this season — the Blue Streaks won 59-53 Jan. 10 in Neffsville — and allowed Jim Kreider's squad to take a two-game lead with two games remaining in the regular season.

Coming as it did in an electric atmosphere made Friday's win that much more special for a Streaks' squad seeking to quiet its critics.

"I loved this atmosphere," said Township forward Jomar Guerrero, who posted a game-high 22 points. "It was definitely the best game I've played in. That was fun."

More fun could be in store for these two rivals should they rematch. Because of the way the brackets are set up for the L-L playoffs — Sections 1 vs. 3 and 2 vs. 4 beginning Tuesday, Feb. 14 — Township-McCaskey III couldn't come until the league championship game on Saturday, Feb. 18. That game, too, would be in Neffsville.

"It will be on their home court," noted Powell, who then issued a shrug. "Doesn't matter."

What mattered for McCaskey Friday was that by falling to Township, the Tornado had all but lost any chance of hosting a first-round game when the L-L playoffs open. Each of the four section champions will host an opening-round game against the runner-up in their opposing section.

Despite owning a two-game lead, Kreider isn't taking anything for granted as Township closes in on its first section title since 2004. As he noted, the Streaks' final two regular-season games — against Hempfield and Warwick — could prove troublesome.

Township's lone loss in the league this season was a 54-42 final in Landisville on Jan. 13, and it came on the heels of its breakthrough win over McCaskey.

"Hempfield," Kreider recalled, "took us apart."

And here the Streaks are again, having handled the defending Section One champs and getting set to rematch with the reigning league kings. Déjà vu, all over again? Township will try to avoid that, while also looking to fend off a Warwick team it beat by three points on Jan. 17.

"Two really tough games," Kreider said, looking ahead to this final week of the regular season.

Township isn't alone in that regard. There's another tough game on tap tonight, and it features one of the oldest and more intense rivalries in the L-L Boys' League — Columbia and Lancaster Catholic. The defending champion Crusaders and Crimson Tide rank first and second, respectively, in Section Four, due in part to Catholic's 73-65 win in Columbia on Jan. 13.

Tonight's rematch in Lancaster may represent the penultimate game on their regular-season schedule, but both sides realize that for all intents and purposes, it's a section championship game. Just as, in all likelihood, Township-McCaskey was Friday night.

Top 10 Scoring Leaders (Through Sunday, Feb. 5): 1. Alec Wizar, Annville-Cleona, 19-401, 21.1; 2. Sam Light, Northern Lebanon, 20-403, 20.2; 3. Marc Summy, Penn Manor, 20-397, 19.9; 4. Nick Nobile, Columbia, 20-331, 16.6; Robbie Cardina, Conestoga Valley, 17-283, 16.6; Drew Johnson, Hempfield, 16-266, 16.6;

7. Landon Alecxih, Penn Manor, 17-270, 15.9; 8. Evan Belczyk, Solanco, 20-305, 15.3; 9. Bryan Rivera, Lancaster Catholic, 20-301, 15.1; 10. Derrick Shields, Warwick, 20-300, 15.0.

Games to Watch: Tonight — Columbia at Lancaster Catholic.

The Crusaders (12-2 L-L, 15-5 overall) lead the Crimson Tide (11-3, 14-6) by a game in Section Four. Catholic took a big step toward defending its crown with a win at Columbia in mid-January.

Wednesday — There are several regular-season finales that could impact the standings and the L-L playoffs. It all hinges on what happens tonight.

egruver@lnpnews.com