On Dec. 28 and 30, the Mineola Mustangs Boys and Girls Basketball teams played non-league games at Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena.

The action began on Dec. 28 with the girls taking on Herricks High School in front of a crowd of just over 500 people. The game began slowly as both teams adjusted to the big court and pro-style arena.

The Lady Mustangs displayed great resiliency as they fell short in the game by a score of 42-27. Samantha Hegmann fought her way in the low post to score 7 points. Courtney Barry had 5 points and Liz Sanderleaf contributed 4 points. Roseanne Mercurio, Jamie Medlock and Marisa Jetter all had 2 points each. Christine Medlock had 10 rebounds and scored 5 points. The ladies enjoyed a very memorable experience as they traversed the inner core of the Garden and gave 100 percent effort on the floor.

The boys' game on Dec. 30 was a tightly contested match before JFK Bellmore went on a third quarter run that put the game out of reach for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs were paced by Sean Bailey's 13 points and 14 rebounds. Kevin Franciotti added 7 points and 10 boards. Tom Owens had 5 points and 3 assists. Mike DeStefano had 6 points and 4 assists. Claudio Saavedra, Nelson Lopes, Mark Dadich, Patrick Cahill, Rob Cerutti, Mike Santopetro, Nick Laurino and Chris Lang all made contributions toward the Mustangs effort on the court.

The game entertained a crowd of 550 people and children in the audience were treated to a post fame basketball clinic with guest speaker Joe Jones, head coach at Columbia University. Youngsters also sat on the Garden floor and got a chance to take a shot on the big rim during the shooting segment of the clinic.

In addition to the high school games, the Corpus Christi third grade team played a five-minute scrimmage at the halftime of the Columbia-Canisius game. The game ended with a score of 2-0 as the Garden crowd roared when Steven Gessner scored the lone basket.

The experience was enhanced by the red carpet treatment from the professional staff at Madison Square Garden. Mineola thanks the staff for allowing the Mustangs to experience the world's most famous arena firsthand.