On Tuesday evening the Lady Vikes will look for the 2^nd victory of the season following their win over North Plainfield on opening night. This game will have special meaning since the opponent will be North Hunterdon. It’s a little early in the season for this rivalry game that goes back just about forty years now but it’s on the schedule so they’ll have to play it. If you’re Voorhees or North winning this game can make your season regardless of your final record.

For those of you new to the high school basketball experience this is the game of games for our girls. Not only are the two schools part of the same high school district but traditionally many of the participants have been playing either with or against each other for many years. Both schools are rich in girls’ basketball tradition. North was the best team in the state of New Jersey from 1985 through 1987 and Voorhees was one of the best in the state from 1997 through 2007. Voorhees posted winning seasons from 1996 through 2011, recording at least 20 wins in most of those years.

The Lady Vikes won the Hunterdon Warren County championship in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2007. The format changed to include Sussex County in 2010. The girls won that year and again in 2016.

For many years the teams played two regular season games (home and away) and often met in the county tournament. The games have always been doubleheaders with the boys and girls teams alternating the early (5:30pm) and late (7:15pm) start time. The girl’s game was always sold out. In fact from the mid-90’s through 2007, if the girl’s game started at 7:15 you had to get a ticket for the boy’s game or you wouldn’t be able to get in to watch the girls.

The games have always been intense, though the emotions could often impact the quality of play. In the old North gym the crowd was frequently jammed along the sidelines and you could clearly hear the trash talking going on between the girls. Sometimes it wasn’t very lady-like.

There’s been no shortage of crazy situations over the years. Most (not all) of them involved players. In 2004 both Voorhees and North had outstanding teams. Rachel Ferdinand from Voorhees and Cheri Raffo from North were very close friends. Both would go on to be D-1 players. On one play, late in the game, there was a loose ball and both Rachel and Cheri went for it, diving on the floor. As they rolled around trying to get possession Rachel ended up putting Cheri in a headlock – while holding on to the ball. Not easy to do. No foul was called and Voorhees was awarded possession, eventually winning by two points. Somehow that friendship lasted.

The emotions could also run high in the stands. A history of parent craziness marked those years with multiple parents being ejected and escorted out of the gym. There’s no limit to the insanity. One North parent was so upset after a game that he wrote into an on-line forum claiming that a referee, my daughter Becky and Coach Cook conspired to beat North.

Then there was the year when the roof of the old North gym began to leak early in the 4^th quarter. The game was closely contested and emotions were running high as usual. But with the water on the floor the game was stopped. While officials tried to figure out what to do the players were all milling around on the “dry” side of the court. Most were just trying to stay loose. After a few minutes one player started shooting. Within moments all the players on both teams were playing “knockout”. It was amazing to watch these kids, who just minutes before were literally beating each other up on the court, laughing and playing around (yes, a Voorhees girls won the knockout game). The rain stopped, the leak stopped, play resumed and the players went back to beating each other up.

Who knows what memories this year’s game will generate? We do know we can count on this - Dave the Rave will be there knocking down shots from mid-court at halftime, the student sections will be trading insults from across the gym – some are pretty funny, some can’t be repeated - and both teams will bring the intensity.

Try to make it down to North at 5:30 and support Kayla, Colby, Caroline, Sydney, Jenna, Mary Kate, AJ, Katie, Lily, Bella, Hailey and Catherine. They will appreciate it.