Students across the country spent their winter break catching up on some much needed sleep and unwrapping presents from Santa Claus. Meanwhile, the Towson boys varsity basketball team was busy unwrapping a brand new trophy.

The varsity team participated in the Annual Dundalk Holiday Invitational Tournament at Dundalk High School. Towson has never won the tournament. Success in the tournament is not something Towson is accustomed to, but something seemed to spark in them during this year’s contest. The team pulled it off, however, winning it all, and bringing home a shiny new trophy to grace the shelves. This accomplishment is nothing short of a Christmas miracle for the underdog Generals.

The Generals kicked off the tournament with a clash against the North Harford Hawks of Harford County. It was a back and forth game and the Hawks had a chance to take the lead in the dying seconds, sending a man to the free throw line. In the back of the crowd’s mind, there was no way he was going to claim victory for his team. His knees were trembling and he did not look like he wanted to get out of bed that morning. Sure enough, he chokes at the free throw line and cost the game for his team by missing both free throws. Towson held on to win by a score of 46-45.

The boys moved on to the championship game against Reginald F. Lewis High School. The Generals came out on top in another nail-biting contest. No team was able to pull away until the last minute when Towson stretched the lead to six. The Generals made school history by winning the tournament for the first time ever. No one expected Towson to have much success but proved the doubters wrong during the holidays.

The Generals key to victory was to feed the big men. Senior Joe Weir powered the team with a total of 41 points and 17 rebounds over the two games. His brother, Henry, was recently called up from the JV team and had an immediate impact with 16 points and 9 rebounds in the tournament. Sophomore James Dugan had 12 points and 21 rebounds. He also had a whopping 17 rebounds against Reginald F. Lewis. Joe Weir and James Dugan both made the All-Tournament team for their excellent play.

The varsity team had a little Christmas present for Ms. DiMino: a brand spankin’ new trophy.