Game 17: A 129–124 OT win over the Wizards… featuring Sugar Creek’s IPA

Another moderately-boring first half followed by an exciting, surprising fourth quarter (Laaaamb) and a satisfying overtime win (and beer).

Well now, that was a nice way to start the holiday weekend. On Wednesday night, the Charlotte Hornets fought back from down 11 to beat the Washington Wizards in overtime… mostly thanks to superstar, future hall of famer, and reigning king of the world, Jeremy Lamb.

Jeremy went off against the Wizards, especially after Nic Batum left after re-aggravating his elbow injury (the lone negative on the night). He finished with 24 points to go with Kemba’s 24 and Dwight’s 26, and also had my favorite play of the game with three minutes left in overtime…

To get there though, the Hornets had to come back in the fourth, a difficult task for a team that’s often found itself giving up fourth quarter leads instead of taking them away. The first three quarters again were fairly even, but the Wizards went on a run in the fourth and the consistent groaning from the Wakefield couch began. Both Abbey and I said several times, “They’re going to lose this game,” and we considered going to bed, but hope kept us in it.

Down 9 with under 4 minutes left at 111–102, Frank, Jeremy, and then Kemba leveled the score in an exciting final push, and overtime was all Charlotte.

Dwight Howard also had an exciting stretch where I think he scored 10 Hornets points in a row in the third, so it was really a solid team win. But J-Lamb deserved the player of the game honors, and his interview with the legendary Stephanie Ready at the end (with teammates interrupting) was a good cap to a fun night.

For the beer of the evening, I selected Sugar Creek Brewing’s IPA in hopes of finding something special. The Pale Ale on Monday night cleansed my palate from the awful Raspberry White, but I wanted to be blown away/impressed by something. The IPA didn’t do that, but it was the best of the Sugar Creek bunch so far.

Here’s how they describe it: “Designed to showcase the full flavor and aroma of America’s finest hop varieties, this light colored, fragrant ale drinks dry, finishes crisp, and is bursting with hoppy flavors. Recirculation with fresh hop flowers after fermentation accentuates their natural aromas, transporting you to the most mysterious and revered corner of our beer cellar.”

Maybe it’s just me, but the two Sugar Creek beers I had this week were both just okay. There was nothing “bursting” with “full flavor” and nothing really stood out, but for me and IPAs, that’s probably a good thing… NoDa’s Hop Drop ‘n’ Roll nearly killed me.

So… mild IPA flavor, moderate floral aroma, an incredibly easy drink, and a small amount of bitterness… that’s a good IPA for me.

I’ll give Sugar Creek’s IPA 7/10 Muggsys and put it right there with OMB’s Copper as reasonable, easy drinking local brews. Not bad at all.

Up next for the Hornets is a trip to Cleveland to face the suddenly resurgent Cavs. LeBron and company beat Charlotte in Buzz City last week, and now they’ve won six in a row to sit at 11–7, so I’m sure Friday won’t be difficult at all. At least we have this three-game winning streak behind us… it’s been nice while it’s lasted. No, no, I won’t give up… if Nic isn’t healthy, J-Lamb can still go off for 60 points in Cleveland on Friday. It’ll be a Thanksgiving miracle.

I’m switching over to Unknown Brewing next, so I’ll probably have a Brown Ryed Girl on tap Friday night. Looking forward to it. Buzzzzzzz.