"The Bigger Event," a night of basketball to benefit the Mineola High School Booster Club, pit some colossal athletes against the community celebrities of Mineola.

Last Friday night began with an opening overtime thriller which pit the Fantastic Flame Fighters of the Mineola Fire Department against The Village People of Mineola and Williston Park.

The game was punctuated by, appropriately enough, renditions of The Village People's YMCA as well as a chorus of cheers from a group of young girls every time Village People team member Kevin Pasqualina got the ball.

In the closing seconds, a shot by The Village People's Tom Wotruba sent the game into overtime at 13-13.

At the end of the two minutes, Mineola Village Attorney John Spellman launched a shot that bounced off the rim into the waiting hands of the player Co-Coach Mayor John P. Colbert, had been promoting as his secret weapon, Tom Claro.

Claro was able to put the game away and secure a 17 to 15 victory for the Village People.

"They were my first two points of the game, they just happened to be at the right time," said Claro, who coaches at Chaminade High School.

"It was great," said Tom Kelly, player representing Williston Park and Co-Coach Williston Park Mayor Joseph Connelly.

The Professionals took to the court soon after and led by former New York Giant Al Dixon, played a series of fierce battles.

Said Dixon, "They beat us last year so we're back for revenge."

In the first game Nassau Sports Physical Therapy achieved a 27-22 victory over the Professionals with the high flying heroics of Derek Adair and the pure shooting ability of Jack Baker.

The Fantastic Flame Fighters under the leadership of Captain Jeff Clark took to the court again, and lost a close one to the Professionals, 22-20.

Coaches Dr. Harry Jaroslaw, superintendent of schools, and Mark Barth, Middle School assistant principal, handed the Professionals their worst defeat of the night thanks to the fantastic play of their Midget Mustangs.

The team comprised of eight Mineola Middle School girls soundly defeated the Professionals 15 to 7.

After the game Al Dixon commented on his opponents, "The sixth grade girls proved that this is a cheating little town."

Dixon questioned the validity of their controversial strategy of playing all eight girls on the court at the same time, "It's not fair."

The girls, who just dominated the court, were too much for the Professionals, who at times admitting their defeat, actually picked up the Midget Mustangs to help them with their dunks.

"We are going to punish someone in the second half," promised Dixon.

The first to feel the Professionals' fury was the returning Village People who were defeated 21 to 16.

The Professionals had less luck against the Hampton Street Her-icanes, made up of the mothers of the Hampton Street PTA and cheered on by Principal Noel Glick.

The Her-icanes hustle ended in a 22 to 6 victory.

The Mineola High School "Raging Educator" All-Stars, the Wanna Bees, who appeared in the last game also provided the player who thrilled the crowd last year with her basketball prowess, Christine Wiedman.

This year Wiedman defeated Tom Wotruba and Patty Purdy in a shoot-out, and earned a chance at winning a jeep if she could make two out of three baskets from half court.

Narrowly missing the shots, Wiedman was still cheered by the crowds as she led her fan favorites, the Wanna Bees, into battle against the Professionals. The Professionals were able to take the Wanna Bees in a close game, 20 to 19.

Win or lose the teams were there with an ulterior motive in mind.

The money raised at the "Bigger" Event will go to the Mineola High School Booster Club which will in turn use the money for athletic scholarships to sports camps.

Said Lonnie Allgood, player for the Professionals and former Cincinnati Bengal, "That is our goal, to come out and show that there are some athletes doing positive things. It gives us a chance to give back to the community."