By DOUG DONNELLY

There have been a lot of memorable moments in the Whiteford Gymnasium, which first opened in 1958, and tonight is a chance to make one more.

When Whiteford takes the court against Jefferson it will be the 605th boys basketball varsity home game for the Bobcats and final one in the gym. The new gym, being built to the south of the existing gym, is currently under construction and projected to be open in the fall.

The Bobcats are 389-215 all-time in the current gym. The first game was Dec. 16, 1958, with the Bobcats beating Adrian Madison 43-37.

Here is a look at some of the greatest moments for boys varsity games in the gym:

Whiteford 71, Morenci 61 (1986-87): Morenci was 15-0, ranked No. 5 and the last unbeaten team in Class C when the No. 8 Bobcats (Class D) dropped them 71-61 at Whiteford in a tense, action-packed game. Between the two teams, a staggering 12 players that would receive All-TCC mention in their careers were on the floor. Brad Nieman had 19 points to lead the Bobcats, who went 18-5 and shared the league title with the 21-2 Bulldogs.

Whiteford 68, Morenci 61 (2006-07): Moments before the national anthem, Airman First Class Tony DuPree walked into the gym to surprise his brother, Josh DuPree. The previous week he was serving in Iraq. With his brother watching, DuPree scored 12 points and played lock-down defense to help the Bobcats shock ninth-ranked Morenci. Dave Gust scored 15 points.

Whiteford 65, Sand Creek 63 (1993-94): Weeks before the game, Coach John Rice guaranteed a victory the next time the two teams met. The Aggies finished the season 18-4 and won the TCC. However, Brad Strahan scored 25 points and had an unbelievable blocked shot of a layup attempt at the buzzer by Sand Creek, making the prediction stand up.

Whiteford 96, Whitmore Lake 95 (2008-09): The Bobcats needed a couple of buzzer beaters to win this one. Jake DuPree hit a shot from nearly halfcourt at the end regulation to force overtime. Forrest Grosteffon hit a 15-footer at the buzzer to win it in OT. Brandon Albright scored 40 for Whiteford.

Whiteford 59, Bedford 54 (2021-22): It was Whiteford’s first win against Bedford in 61 years and in came in the Whiteford Gymnasium. It’s the only time Whiteford ever beat Bedford in the gym in four meetings.

Whiteford 63, Lenawee Christian 49 (2002-03): The game was sold out before the JV game was complete and the crowd was treated to a Whiteford win. Lenawee Christian entered the game state-ranked and would go on to win 20 games and finish as the No. 4 ranked team in Class D. The senior trio of Joe Gust, Anthony Miracola and Bobby Plumer led the Bobcats to the victory.

Whiteford 62, Dundee 52 (1980-81): The Bobcats struggled through a 5-16 season but upset the Vikings, who won 17 games on the year. Coach John Rice called it his biggest win at Whiteford at the time.

Whiteford 107, Morenci 51 (1978-79): Whiteford played a brutal non-league schedule this season, playing non-league tilts against the likes of Bedford, Toledo Devilbiss, Clinton, Hudson, Ottawa Hills and Morenci. In this matchup, it was a dunk by Glenn Green which sent Whiteford over the 100-point mark for the first time in school history in one of its most impressive offensive performances in school history.

Whiteford 60, Sand Creek 57 (1992-93): Another last second victory, this one was won by a 3-pointer by Jim Butz at the buzzer. The Aggies went on to a 22-2 record, losing next in the Class C Regional final.

Whiteford 51, Summerfield 48 (2012-13): Colin Lake had some jaw-dropping moments in the Whiteford gym during his four varsity seasons, but maybe the biggest single moment was a last-second shot from the corner to beat the Bulldogs.

Whiteford 71, Sand Creek 54 (1997-98): Eddie Sharpe became the all-time leading scorer in Monroe County Region history when he scored 32 points in the win over the Aggies. He broke the record on a free throw and the game was stopped and Sharpe was presented with a ball after a brief ceremony and a standing ovation from the crowd.

Whiteford 72, Summerfield 68 (1991-92): John Maigret made only one 3-pointer in his career, but it was huge. The play was designed by Coach Rice in the huddle with less than five seconds on the clock and the 6-5 center drained the biggest shot of his career to tie the game and send the game into overtime.

Whiteford 79, Morenci 76 (1988-89): Barry Jones poured in 42 points to lead the Bobcats to the win over state-ranked Morenci in one of a series of memorable battles between the two teams in the late 1980s.

Whiteford 71, Sand Creek 69 (1977-78): This was one of Whiteford’s most talented teams ever and it showed with a number of huge wins. The Aggies were state-ranked, won 19 games and a District title, but lost both regular season tilts to Whiteford, including a two-point game in the Whiteford Gym.

Whiteford 88, Morenci 82 (1987-88): Morenci went 20-4 but lost twice to Whiteford, both barnburners. The game featured two high-scoring teams and matched Rice against Morenci coach Larry Bruce with two of the best teams the TCC has ever seen, featuring all-league players like Brad Nieman, Chris DuPree, Scott Stewart and Steve Harris from Whiteford.

Whiteford 56, Sand Creek 54 (2001-02): With Whiteford trailing 54-53 and five seconds remaining in the game, the Bobcats called timeout and set up a double screen for Joe Gust. He got the ball in the corner and sank a 3-pointer with under two seconds remaining as the Bobcats beat the Aggies.

Whiteford 61, Summerfield 56 (2000-01): In one of the largest comeback in school history as the Bobcats trailed 39-27 to start the fourth quarter. Brent Chany tied the game with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and the Bobcats won it in overtime.

Whiteford 61, Ida 59 (1975-76): Ida and Whiteford were deadlocked 59-59 when Ida attempted a long pass to get the ball inbounds. In a twist, the ball hit the rafter in the gym, meaning it went out-of-bounds, giving the ball back to Whiteford under its own basket. The inbounds pass came to Pete Whalen who rained a 15-foot shot that circled the rim, appeared to bounce out only to clank back into the net for the game-winner.

Whiteford 52, Sylvania Metamora 50 (1958-59): It was just the third game in the Whiteford Gymnasium. The Bobcats had lost to Metamora 92-68 on Jan. 6 and hosted the same team 14 days later. The Bobcats won this one on a buzzer-beater by Ron Reger.

Not to be forgotten: There have been some memorable moments when the Bobcats lost as well, such as Britton’s Brad Maska sinking a half-court game winner in 2000 to give the Tories the TCC title and, most recently, Erie Mason’s Carson Brown hitting a last-second shot to give the Eagles a win and the outright TCC championship.