The Ville — a roster stacked with Louisville fan favorites — had the crowd, the energy, and, for a time, a furious fourth-quarter rally.

Montrezl Harrell wasn’t just The Ville’s leading scorer. He was the headliner, hype man, and heart rate monitor, thundering his way to 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 91-71 win over Boston vs. Cancer.

The field has dwindled to eight teams in the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament.

Rick Pitino’s once-fractured relationship with the University of Kentucky has flowered into a full détente.

All The Ville had to do Wednesday night was defeat Team DRC and a remarkable summer basketball moment was guaranteed.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers and former Louisville star Donovan Mitchell agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $150.3 million. 

One more basket. That is all The Ville needed to defeat the Gutter Cats Saturday at Freedom Hall to advance past the halfway point of their journey of claiming the $1 million winner-take-all prize in The Basketball Tournament.

Thursday night was a grind over gravel and potholes.

The announced crowd Tuesday when The Ville won its opener, 91-67, on a Russ Smith three-pointer was 5,463.