Fresh off Friday the 13th, my son’s team headed into their last game of the season on Saturday afternoon. They were undefeated at 12-0; would this final game bring a lucky 13?
There were nerves heading into this one. He wasn’t as nervous as my wife, but my son did say he was a little bit nervous. I told him good; if you’re not nervous before a big game, there’s something wrong with you. You shouldn’t be scared, but being nervous is totally natural, especially for someone who wants to win as bad as my 10 year old. The team would be shorthanded, missing two of their starters, and really, the only other two ball handlers on the team other than my son. The opponent, was in first place in the other division, with only one loss. The game would be at home, and was part of a full slate of games, starting with the 4th graders, continuing with the 5th graders, then 7th graders, ending with the 8th graders. The opponent was in first place on all levels. This was a big day across the board.
We got there in the first half of the 4th grade game; they split it between two halves. Our 4th graders easily won the first half; they tied the 2nd half. My son and his team took the court next. One of the other good scorers on the team was out sick most of the week; thankfully he was back. The best 4th grader played up with our team, giving us a 2nd kid off the bench, and a backup ball handler behind my son. The ref tossed the jump ball, and away we went. I knew my son would get his; question is, who else would step up with two of the other top scorers out? We found out pretty early, as one of our power forwards started off the game on fire, dropping 8 points in the 1st quarter. This was just the kind of start the team needed. But what I had told my son all week, was that the calling card of this team was still there, regardless of who was there and who wasn’t… their defense. They play great defense, every single one of the kids. They hustle, they grab loose balls, they have active hands, they stay between the basket and the other team. If they played their game on defense, they should be OK. They played their game on defense. The other team had this one kid that I thought would be problematic; they have some decent looks early, but… he never got going, their shots weren’t falling, and our boys jumped out early.
Of course, my son got his. He ended with his 7th double digit scoring game in a row with 14 points. He added 4 rebounds, a season high 5 assists, and 3 steals. I loved the emotion he showed on the court in the 4th quarter, as he and that other leading scorer traded big baskets to put an exclamation point on this victory. It wasn’t that close… 38-15 was the final. They celebrated on the court after the game. Someone jumped on the mic to congratulate them on their undefeated season. Hoping a banner will be flying in their gym to commemorate this awesome season.
My son was hyped up. We’d stay to watch the other games, and their school ended up sweeping the day, ending it with a game winning shot at the buzzer by the 8th graders, and a court rushing celebration. It was a long day… it was a very good day. We’ve been on the other side of this… our one baseball season years ago when we didn’t win one game; to be on the other side… seeing my son play the entire season without losing a game; it’s really fricking sweet. Congrats boy; Mom and I are super proud! Congrats to the entire 5th grade team; we’ve only just begun.
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