On To The Championship Game

Things looked bleak for Emily and Dad's basketball team Friday night. First, the same referee who called Thursday's game was back on the floor for the Spartan's game against Sts. Peter & Paul. Dad saw this and hustled up to talk to the tournament director - who he reminded that he had told the night before never to have at another one of his team's games again.

The next hurdle was simply getting the girls to play up to their ability. They were nervously tossing the basketball to the opponent - instead of their teammates - and not playing like a team that had won 15 games this year.

With 91 seconds to play, Emily and Dad's team trailed 15-11. It looked all but over when Dad called timeout - just as Emily was shooting AND MAKING a basket to cut the lead to two. That wiped out the basket and left Dad wondering if this was the end of the season.

But Emily found a teammate, Elena, open underneath for a basket and a quick steal and another bucket tied the game up with less than 30 seconds to go. Then Dad subbed in one of his taller players to play defense. As it would turn out, she ended up with the ball and was fouled. One of her two free throws gave St. Mary's the lead with less than 15 seconds to go.

Emily and Dad's team came up with what appeared to be the final stop defensively, knocking the ball out of bounds with 0.9 seconds showing on the clock. But the referees ruled that it went out on St. Mary's, giving Sts. Peter & Paul one more chance. They got a shot off, which bounced high off the rim and off to the right side, triggering a huge celebration by the Spartans and their fans.

Dad didn't celebrate, though. He knows it will be a tall order to beat St. Bernadette on Sunday in the championship game. Uncle Neil schemed with Dad afterwards to come up with a strategy that might do the trick.

The situation harkens back to 1991 when Elkhorn beat Mt. Michael in the final game of the regular season by more than 40 points. Three weeks later, the two teams met in the state title game. But Coach Jim Kane of Mt. Michael had come up with a completely different look that helped the Knights pull through and beat the Antlers. Overconfidence will also be a factor for St. Bernadette, as they have won the past two games (of three) between the two teams.