By Adam Johnson
D3sports.com

To me, the once intense Johnnie-Tommie rivalry has been mediocre to weak in recent years. It was this mindset which led me to believe that even a regular season championship game wouldn’t draw a full house.

After watching my alma mater, Macalester, take a 14-point lead with six minutes to play, I left Hamline on a beeline for Schoenecker Arena with a friend following close behind. We got there at about 2:45pm and had to park far away in a residential neighborhood. As we walked to the gym, a friend called to inform me the game was sold out and they were turning away fans. He dropped the tip that he had used the side door and his media pass and was admitted after catching flack and a stern “No” when he pass dropped at the front door.

I approached the side door and put my pass to the window. Security hemmed and hawed a bit and asked if it was just me. I pointed to my friend and said, “Two of us, she’s taking pictures.” (She had a camera on her cell phone but had no intention of shooting pictures.)

They asked who we were with and we name dropped: “D3hoops.com.” We were promptly admitted.

Inside was a beautiful mix of passion, purple, rivalry, red and a buzz that screamed “The Johnnie-Tommie rivalry is back.” Fans scrambled to snatch up the remaining seats as both teams went through their pregame warmups.

My “photographer” and I looked for a spot to sit mingling in three of four corners of the gym before looking up and spotting our perch. It was in the press box–obviously. We climbed to the top, over Tommie fans, over Johnnie fans and to the rafters of Schoenecker Arena. For the next two hours we watched all that is wonderful about Division III hoops.

St. Thomas seniors walked out with their parents and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of talent that would soon graduate from St. Thomas. The Tommie student section, often criticized for its lack of attendance, let alone interest, was out in full force. The road team traveled well with many fans drenched in Johnnie red.

While the teams seemed to be separated by ten points most of the game, they were connected by verbal jabs, and hard fouls. After feeling each other out in the first half, the tempers started to flare in the second half.

St. Thomas’s Mike Keating and St. John’s reserve center Jason Fogt got nose to nose after Fogt scored and was fouled by Keating. No technicals were called but the tone was obviously set.

Later in the half, Schnettler and St. John’s Ryan Lieser, who had battled all game nearly came to blows. Both benches rose to their feet as Schnettler found himself nearly surrounded in the Johnnie huddle. It looked as though Schnettler and Johnnie coach Jim Smith exchanged words. Technicals were called on Schnettler and Lieser and normalcy was restored.

While emotions were at a high level, the Johnnies shooting percentage wasn’t and they eventually lost 74-59.

Thank goodness for my media pass and thank goodness these teams have an opportunity for a rematch this Saturday if they don’t overlook their opponents in the semifinals.