My son’s team also played on Saturday; they entered the game undefeated. In the previous game on Wednesday night, my son dropped his career high with 12 points; he had told me as much before the game. He said he would get double digits, and yeah, he did. He had a nice game; the other starting guard scored 10 points, helping lead them to another W. We headed on the road Saturday morning for the next game on the schedule.
I don’t know much about these grammar school teams; can’t exactly check ESPN for box scores and highlights… haha. Yet, as we entered the gym, a tiny gym, with seats for fans only under 1 of the baskets, I thought how cool is this home court advantage; love seeing the unique, small gyms these grammar schools play in. This one also had a bunch of banners hanging in it; must be decent? Well, we showed up early to watch the 4th graders play their game, and, uh, yeah… they were good. Our 4th graders had been undefeated too; we have one kid on that team that is an absolute stud… as much as you can be an absolute stud for a 4th grader… haha. Well, this other team… they had a few of those kids. For a 4th grade team, I was super impressed. They took it to us, handing the 4th graders their first L of the season; I’m sure they’ll be fine. But what does that mean for us? If this team was good, then the 5th graders??? And, and… we were going to be missing one of our best players, along with one of our kids off the bench. So, we’d be playing short handed, although that 4th grader stuck around to give us another option off the bench; he actually played really well in the few minutes he got.
But yeah, I was talking to my son about this, thinking in the back of my head, that this will finally be the game they get challenged. Before every road game, we sort of have our own “pre-game show” with my wife and I talking to him about the upcoming game. Make sure to move the ball around, need to help rebound today, make sure to give your teammates a high five after every free throw… you know, stuff like that. When I asked him how many points he would score in this one, he said at least 8 points; that would certainly be a nice follow up to his career high 12 point game, but would it be enough to win THIS game, without one of our best players?
The game started, and my son ensured that our team would not be caught flat footed out of the gates. He dropped 11 points… in the first quarter!!! He was on fire, both outside shots and layups. He kept getting open looks, and kept taking them; I always tell him if he’s got the shot, take it… just as every other kid on the team should have the confidence to do. Speaking of confidence, it was brimming in this one. So much for maybe our first loss of the season, or at least getting pressed. With the 11 points in the first quarter, my son helped nip that in the bud, and put some space between the teams, never looking back. He ended up with 20 points, not playing some of the 2nd half because of the lead. They ended up winning 33-19.
I was so happy, and proud; my wife and I were just looking at each other during the game. This was the best game of his young career, and most importantly, he helped the team get a W and stay undefeated. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: there are not many things better than watching my son play out there. To see him play like THIS??? Next up, back to back games next weekend, both on the road; will the undefeated streak be tested? I hope so; they need it. Would love to see a close game down the stretch, with a W at the end of the day of course. I’m also excited to see my son back out there again; I wonder what he’ll say when I ask him how many points will he score this game? Haha… absolutely love it!
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