As usual, Chelsea ended its basketball regular season with its big rivalry game at Dexter; as usual, the game drew a big crowd that produced a fantastic atmosphere.

The evening started with Dexter’s senior night festivities, including 6’9 Cornell-bound senior Dave LaMore…

…the national anthem…

…and the introduction of Chelsea’s starting lineup…

…and then things got interesting.  Dexter decided to have some fun with their introductions: to the delight of the crowd, they shut off the gym lights, turned on a couple spotlights and gave the starting five an introduction to remember.

That’s LaMore being introduced as the Dexter student section, highlighted by one of the spotlights, gives him a rousing welcome.

Once the lights were back on, the game started.

Chelsea and Dexter have played some classics to close out the regular season, and this game was another one of those.

With just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Dexter had a four-point lead and the ball.  Chelsea’s hopes seemed entirely dashed when a foul call was going to put Dexter at the line for two shots…until another whistle sounded and changed the situation dramatically.

Chelsea’s foul had occurred on the floor prior to a pass; the pass had been to LaMore on the baseline.  Though the whistled had long sounded, LaMore continued his original plan by emphatically dunking the ball well after play had been stopped.  The referees felt the dunk to be unnecessary and called LaMore for a technical foul, thus not only revoking Dexter’s foul shots but also giving Chelsea two shots and possession.

LaMore couldn’t believe it.

Chelsea hit both free throws to cut Dexter’s lead to two, but the Bulldogs couldn’t score on their ensuing possession.  Another Chelsea foul sent Dexter back to the line, but only one shot fell, leaving Chelsea still within one shot of tying the game.  The Bulldogs hit a shot to draw within one, and on yet another trip to the line, Dexter missed the first of a one-on-one; Chelsea grabbed the rebound and called timeout with nine seconds to play.

What was the result of Chelsea’s final possession?  This might give you a clue:

Thanks to Dexter’s solid defense, Chelsea had to settle for an outside shot that found the back of the rim, and the Dreadnaughts escaped with a 38-37 win.

The thrilling win was a fond farewell for Dexter’s very talented senior duo of Matt Muchmore and Dave LaMore.