The sign in front of the entrance by the Bishop Guertin High School Colligadome said it all.

“It’s Tourney Time!” it said.

Big deal? You bet. Because it’s just 10 days shy of a year when Tourney Time turned into Closing Time thanks to the pandemic.

Monday night was special, because tourney time was back locally, starting with the Nashua South-BG Region Four play-in game, won by the Cards 63-48.

Now the Cards will go see Nashua North on Thursday, feeling they have unfinished business after blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead in losing last Friday in overtime.

But unfinished business is how a lot of local basketball teams felt last year. The Guertin girls team felt it was on its way to a fivepeat. The North boys were supposed to play Merrimack in the quarterfinals. South and Alvirne had road upset wins in the prelims and figured to be tough outs in quarterfinals on the seacoast.

Instead, that night of March 11 was their last for the year. By Friday everything was delayed, by that following Monday the plug was pulled as we all were dealt a severe blow. Life hasn’t been the same since.

But, finally, on Monday night, we got that feeling of hoop games that count. The regular season was basically one big scrimmage jamboree, although teams did play hard. The records didn’t matter, the tourney pairings were done by blind draw in basketball; records mattered a little more in hockey.

But the games start to count now, beginning with last night’s game. The atmosphere was different. BG allowed a limited number of South fans. Guertin standout Nate Kane said even a few North players managed to slip inside (uh-oh).

Kane was on that North team last year, and he joined a BG team that got upset in the first round before things ended. He knew the empty feeling.

“Last year there was a ton of unfinished business,” he said. “We all feel like we got stripped (of a chance). I think we would have made it to the championship game , to be honest. We had great momentum going in.”

And that feeling was back. No one feels it more than seniors, and the Cards have a ton. “We all kind of got robbed during our high school careers and this is our last chance,” Kane said. “With 10 seniors on our team, we know this is the last straw. We want to make it as far as we can.”

And there you go, that tournament mentality.

“All the kids during the year (play),but seniors during the tournament,” Guertin coach John Fisher said. “Because they’re playing for the most.”

Even though the Panthers lost, they were playing a tournament game that had to be fun.

“It’s just great to have the excitement of the tournament,” South coach Nate Mazerolle said. I’m glad the kids got to experience it. As strange and different as it was, it was still a tournament game.

“It wasn’t your packed house, it couldn’t be. Still great energy in here. … I’m happy for the kids they got to experience this, especially after last year’s abrupt ending was difficult.”

Not this time. Tournament time is back.

“Isn’t that great?” Fisher said. “Every game is a blessing for these kids.”

And for us all.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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