Phillipsburg (NJ) took a 15-point lead over Pingry (NJ) after stealing the 20-point question in the UNIVERSITIES bonus. Phillipsburg leads Pingry 170-120 after adding 30 points on the CURRENT EVENTS bonus. Solanco (PA) moved into second place after this solo shot: “One of them is considered holy by Hindus and worshipped as a goddess. The other has a male name, rare for a river on the Indian subcontinent, which in Sanskrit means Son of Brahma. The largest delta in the world is not at the mouth of the Nile, but at the confluence of these two Asian rivers. Name them.” (Ans. Ganges, Brahmaputra) With a dramatic solo shot, Pingry moved to within 5 points of Phillipsburg's lead late in the contest: “Politically, what word for a region showing a major trend comes from a lead sheep with a sound-producing device around its neck?” (Ans. Bellwether) Alliance (OH) got a solo shot on this one: “What painting by Hieronymous Bosch fortunately was not titled: A Very Large Vessel for Deep-Water Navigation Containing Many Folks with Deficient Judgment?” (Ans. Ship of Fools), after which the leader board showed:
Team |
|
Alliance |
160 |
Phillipsburg |
170 |
Pingry |
165 |
Solanco |
160 |
Team |
|
DeerfieldWindsor |
225 |
HopkinsW |
310 |
Warren_ |
320 |
Riverwatch |
205 |
River Trail 1 |
375 |
River Trail 2 |
295 |
Solanco took the lead after this Current Events question: “Known as Europe's last dictator, President Aleksandr Lukashenko was announced as winning a sixth term, sparking protests in what country?” (Ans. Belarus) But Pingry took a 200-195 lead over Solanco after another Current Events question: “On Nov. 4, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a youthful African leader awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 after just 18 months in power, announced a sweeping military operation against one of his own regions. Name his nation.” (Ans. Ethiopia) Fully four teams were in position to win it on the last question: Pingry, Alliance, Solanco, Phillipsburg. As an appropriate end to a nearly perfect season, however, Pingry put an exclamation point on their win with a final-question solo shot: “This American humorist and student of the English language quipped, ‘Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.’ He never attended college but helped found and edit The American Mercury and wrote the multi-volume The American Language. Name this Sage of Baltimore”. (Ans. H. L. Mencken)
With the only other team with a win – Detroit Jesuit – unable to join us in December due to state mandates – Pingry was declared tournament champion without a playoff game.
How fitting that this, which may turn out to be the last QuizNet game ever (in this our 25th season), had such a photo finish, with a last-second solo shot. With the pandemic’s continuation, we will focus our efforts on videoconference tournaments in which students may compete from the safety of their own homes.
Team |
|
Alliance |
190 |
Clintonarrows |
120 |
Phillipsburg |
205 |
Pingry |
245 |
SOLANCO |
210 |
Vermilion |
175 |
Deerfield-Windso |
80 |