Community support turned into a basketball game Thursday at Pinecrest High School.

And that basketball game turned out to be a pretty competitive affair with the White Coats hanging on in the final seconds to claim a 65-63 win over the Moore County Schools Brainiacs in the fourth annual Hoops for Kids benefit.

The game is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of the Sandhills. This year a new wrinkle was added by the addition of the team representing the Moore County Schools. In the three previous games, doctors from the community took on personnel representing FirstHealth. In Thursday's contest, the doctors and FirstHealth combined forces to take on the Brainiacs.

That combination raised almost $10,000 for the local club. Kim Madrigal, executive director of the local club, couldn't have been happier with the event.

"This has been awesome," Madrigal said. "We couldn't do it without the community support, Moore County Schools and FirstHealth. The club can't express enough the wealth of good feelings this event has generated."

Leslie Deane, FirstHealth's director of planning and marketing who also serves as chairman of the committee that has been responsible for organizing the game, thought the change in format opened the benefit up to more of the community. She also indicated that not all ticket sales and donations had been added up yet, and expressed optimism that the game would reach the goal the committee had set of raising $10,000.

"It was an excellent change in the mix of the event," Deane said. "Adding the school system has been tremendous. They did a wonderful job of getting organized."

But according to Burgin Beale, player/coach of the Brainiacs and the principal at Southern Pines Elementary School, his team didn't really get together to practice.

"Next year, we're going to practice," he said after the contest. "We'll be better prepared next year."

And with that a new rivalry was born, almost guaranteeing a return engagement next year between two of the largest employees in the county.

Also on hand for the battle was Dr. Susan Purser, school superintendent. From her position behind the Brainiacs bench she kept a close eye on the proceedings.

"This game has been a good thing," Purser said. "I'm really proud of our folks. They embody the meaning of team spirit. This was an opportunity to give back to a community that has been so good to us. We had some talent out there. We'll get them next year."

Although the contest is a fun evening of entertainment, the real meaning of the game was embodied in the performance of Charles Roberts, a support tech for FirstHealth who sold 602 tickets at $5 a pop to the contest. For his efforts, he won two tickets to see the Charlotte Bobcats play the Atlanta Hawks.

"I know a lot of people," Roberts said. "I don't have kids of my own, so I wanted to do something for somebody's kids."

The Game

With a precision born of actually practicing as a team, the doctors opened the contest by dissecting the Brainiacs behind the passing of player/coach Dr. Ray "Black Magic" Washington.

The White Coats jumped out to an 11-2 first-quarter lead with five different players getting in the scoring column. Robert Cavana had four points, while Suzanne Wilson, Chris Frahm and Mike Antil provided two points each, and Chris Miller added a free throw.

Grant Smith had the only bucket for the Brainiacs.

But the Brainiacs made a comeback, cutting the deficit to 11-8 on a charge led by Chris "Kentucky Kid" Metzger. Metzger hit two driving layups, while launching into the role of shutdown corner on the defensive end.

Unfortunately, the hard-charging Metzger was on the basketball court and not the football field, causing the referees to call several fouls on him.

Beale admired the spunk Metzger brought to the Brainiacs, and came up with a solution for the possible elimination of Metzger from the mix.

"I gave Metzger five of my fouls so he could keep playing," Beale said. "He led the team in tackles tonight."

The first quarter ended with the White Coats leading 19-10. In the second quarter, the Brainiacs started attacking down low, getting within 28-26 behind six points from Larry "LaJam" Alford and a three-pointer from Ronshau "Silky Smooth" Cole.

With Washington dishing out several needle-threading assists worthy of any good surgeon, the White Coats ended with a 6-2 run to take a 34-28 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Roberts, the man of many tickets, showed that he could also collect some points, nailing two three-pointers as the White Coats maintained the edge, 44-37.

Bobby Hyman had a three and a two-pointer, while Eric "ATM" Richardson proved to be money when he swooped in for a layup to keep the Brainiacs close.

Washington nailed two free throws with seconds remaining in the third to make the score 52-45 entering the fourth.

As the seconds ticked down at the end of the game, the Brainiacs made a late charge at the White Coats. The Brainiacs were about six inches from tying the game at 64-all with 5 seconds left on the clock. Cole hit a long jumper right around the three-point line, but he had one foot inside the arc, resulting in just two points, leaving the White Coats in front 64-63.

Perhaps it was fitting that John Shepherd made one of two free throws at the charity stripe, as the Brainiacs were forced to foul, bringing in the final 65-63 count.

Almost There

Talking about a count, the money raised by the event has grown each year. The first game produced a little over $3,000, while last year's game topped out at around $7,000. The goal this year of $10,000 may still be reached.

Washington, who will take over as chairman of the Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors, felt positive not only about the game, but also about reaching the goal.

"It was exciting," Washington said. "The school system's team was fantastic, and they were good sports. Without the school system we wouldn't have come close to our goal of raising $10,000."

Beale nailed the purpose behind the game and who really got the most out of the contest.

"What a great event for a great reason," Beale said. "There was a good community turnout. The support was for the kids. We've got over 100 of our students that go there. We're very grateful for the Boys & Girls Club. We had a lot of fun leading up to it, and a lot of fun playing in it."

And with a gleam in his eye, Beale couldn't resist letting the competitor in him slip out.

"I think this will just keep getting better and bigger each year," he said. "And next year, we're going to win."

Now, that's a guarantee that can only provide a winning moment for what really matters: The raising of money for the Boys & Girls Club.