BLOG: Northeastern fans can get free ride to title game

Northeastern boys' basketball fans have an opportunity to get a free ride to watch their Bobcats shoot for history.

The Northeastern Athletic Department announced Tuesday that it's offering a fan bus for students and community members who want a ride to Friday's District 3 Class 5-A boys' basketball final.

The best part — there's no cost to ride the bus. Riders, however, must buy their tickets at the game.

Interested students and community members must register to ride the bus at the ninth-grade office (198 N. Hartman St., Manchester) by 3 p.m. Friday.

The bus will leave from the front of the middle school at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey.

The top-seeded Bobcats (26-2) will face second-seeded Mechanicsburg (22-5). Northeastern is aiming to win the first District 3 boys' basketball title in school history. The Bobcats have already won York-Adams Division I and York-Adams League playoff crowns.

The Bobcats last appeared in a district final in 2004, when they fell in the 3-A championship game to Steel-High, 89-48.

Third-quarter run spurs Northeastern over Spring Grove

Interest in the Bobcats has been at a fever pitch this season in the Manchester/Mount Wolf area. Sellouts became the norm for Northeastern home games, and the Bobcats' playoff games have also attracted large crowds. That included a gathering estimated at around 7,000 for Monday's 78-58 victory over York County rival Spring Grove in a District 3 5-A semifinal at the Giant Center.

Reach Steve Heiser at sheiser@yorkdispatch.com.