It was one of the more intense girls basketball games I've seen in a while and the fans appreciated the two teams efforts.
A standing ovation was given by many as both Waterford and Stonington left the floor after a 53-52 overtime win for the Lancers.
"We never have easy games!" Waterford coach Rob Von Achen repeated to me twice after the game just for a little emphasis.
"The kids make it fun whether you win or lose. They come over into the time outs and they're fired up, they're drained, they have nothing left but they're fired up. That, to me, is the most exciting part of coaching is when kids just reach down and that's what both teams did tonight."
I can't say that I disagree with that statement as the Lancers sent the kitchen sink at Heather Buck and she still dropped 34 points on them despite being double, triple and sometimes even quadruple teamed by capable basketball players.
"They do that to her all the time," Stonington coach Paulla Solar said of the attention paid to her six-foot-four junior center, "but she held her own. 34 points is a pretty good number when you're playing a team like Waterford."
Will a Waterford-NFA final match the intensity of the Waterford semifinal with Stonington? It will be difficult to accomplish but both teams know each other well having split their two games this season and both play aggressive defensively. Look for another close one on Friday night in Norwich.
There will be the all-star awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. preceding Friday night's 7 p.m. final between the Wildcats and Lancers at NFA.