Somewhere in between LeBlond's blowout victory and the start of the nightcap, the troops rolled in to Cameron High School.

By troops, I mean the dozen or so Cameron fans sporting plaid, toga-like garb complete with blue face paint. Yes "The Cameron Crazies" made semifinal night into "Braveheart Night" in the stands.

Cameron's most dedicated cross-section of fans -- modelled after Duke University's Cameron Crazies -- paid tribute to Mel Gibson's 1995 award-winning film "Braveheart," a choice not easily explained according to the group's vocal leader, senior Matt Poehler.

"You don't know what you're going to choose," he said. "You've just got to feel it."

Poehler felt confident before the game, promising eight 3-pointers from senior Brent Seifert and a Cameron victory. Poehler then kindly asked me not to write anything bad about Cameron, then jokingly threatened to stick an oversized, aluminum foil-covered sword somewhere on my person. He never specified where, and although it appeared to be cardboard under the Reynolds Wrap, the thought left me uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, Cameron faltered late, and Seifert managed only four treys. The Dragons notched 11 as a team, but if Seifert had hit Poehler's promised mark, as you can tell by the final score, Cameron would be playing LeBlond on Saturday.

So, Poehler, if you found my discourse on Cameron's loss in poor taste, my apologies, and keep your sword to yourself.

Also with the loss, the high school basketball world loses the chance at one more Cameron Crazies appearance this season. A true loss for the atmosphere of Saturday's district finale, although I'm sure LeBlond doesn't mind the elimination of the Cameron Crazies' distracting force.

The Cameron Crazies, which also included all-state wrestlers Connor Kellerstrass and Ryan Mallen, remained upbeat with their sporting taunts through the whole game, even during a nearly half-hour delay in the fourth quarter after a Cameron cheerleader faceplanted during a stunt and had to be stretchered off. This also brought a huge cheer from the Crazies.

Even after the game came to an end, the Crazies greeted their players and offered words of encouragement.

In true form of the character, Mallen even offered a few parting words. I don't think he nailed all the wording exactly, but through the magic of imdb.com, I found what he was going for with Mallen's slight twist on the end:

"And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and play in Saturday's district final."

Well said.