By Pike Early | Sub-par sportswriter

Bass Lake Canoes dropped their final regular-season game of the year Friday, by a score of 61-50, to dreaded rival Nearbytown Birds-of-Prey.

The loss drops BLHS into a tie for third-to-last place in the Moonshine Conference. Official records of all teams could not be verified prior to presstime.

Bass Lake was led by dual-attack scoring of Wheren Wen and Peabody Samjankovich. Each tallied seven points. Wen hit a halfcourt shot as time wound down in the second period, but the basket was waved off by a retired referee watching from the stands.

Nearbytown’s star-of-the-game honors went to Joe Floorburn, who notched 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, an additional one rebound and zero fouls.

Canoes head coach Zeb Dreppelin said Floorburn was a difference-maker.

“If he was on our team, we’d be better, you better, you better, you bet,” Dreppelin said. “Ooh.”

Next up for the Canoes: A sectional tournament matchup vs. Northern Michiana South, which recently revived its basketball program after a 45-year hiatus.