The West triumphs over the East

The West All-Stars beat the East All-Stars in a thrilling 17-16 nail biter in Friday night's Montgomery County Senior All-Star game at Churchill High School.

With 18 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 16 Whitman's all-American and all-county attackman Rob Schaut made a quick dodge to score an unassisted goal, winning the game for the West squad.

The East team was not without their heroics either as the team rallied to score two goals in the final minutes to tie the game, including a goal by Blair senior attackman Josh Gottlieb-Miller.

Gottlieb-Miller and midfielder Alex Berger represented Blair on the East team. Gottlieb-Miller finished with an impressive four points, scoring three goals and one assist. Berger had a solid game as he faced-off and played strong midfield defense. The two seniors played their last high school game Friday night, but Berger might pursue club lacrosse when he attends University of North Carolina. Gottlieb-Miller is hanging up his stick, as he will not continue his lacrosse career at Saint-Mary's College. He was Blair's leading scorer this season with over 30 goals and the team's most outstanding senior.

The West team had strong offensive performances from several players. Kaveh Saba of Walter Johnson had four goals and one assist and Blake Miller of Churchill had three goals. The East was led by the game's MVP, Eddie Gourley of Damascus, who had three goals and three assist. Mike Bertha of Poolesville contributed three goals and two assists while his Poolesville teammate, all-American and Ohio State-bound Josh Funk, had two goals.

The game got off to a slow start in the chilly drizzle, but soon got hot and turned into a dazzling display of offensive talent. Even a defenseman from Churchill, Andrew Friedson, got in on the scoring for the West.

After Gourley scored in the third quarter to tie the game at eight, the West then scored four consecutive goals. However the East answered with four straight of their own, keeping the game suspenseful right up to the end.