McNamara was in town to see Joseph Girard play, and the Orange assistant coach got an eyeful. Joseph Girard finished with a game-high 34 points, including 20 in the second half, when Glens Falls rallied from a 37-32 deficit.

“We knew that Mekeel is a great team, and we’d have to come out and play tough,” Joseph Girard said. “In the second half we had that mental toughness and we just shut them down more.”

It was a game of hot and cold shooting. In the first quarter, Glens Falls went 9 of 13 from the field and Mekeel went 8 of 18. The tables were turned in the second quarter, when the Lions (22-1) went 6 of 10 while Glens Falls went 4 of 12. More importantly for Glens Falls, thanks to its improved defense, Mekeel was 6 for 31 from the field in the second half.

All-tournament team selection Tony Green (12 points, 12 rebounds) did a good job in the second half containing Mekeel’s Carter Stewart, who had scored 18 in the first half. Stewart finished with 25.

Glens Falls took the lead for good, 44-43, with 7:47 left on a left-handed drive by Joseph Girard. Later on, the Indians got a fortunate putback from Green, who knocked a rebound in while not having control of it, and a drive by Girard that put them up 53-47 with 2:35 left.