Nearly three months after the first pick was made in the 2022 SHS Basketball Draft, the season wrapped up this past Thursday with the matchup of the century. More on that game in a minute, let’s recap a few of the games leading up to the championship.
The last round of regular season games were held on March 24th, with all of them determining the final seeds of the upcoming tournament. The Bulls and Thoroughballers were the first game of the afternoon with the Bulls putting up an impressive 13 points in the first half. The highlights of the game was the defensive plays between twins, Jon and Janie. With Jon on the Bulls and Janie on the Thoroughballers, the sibling rivalry was real! The Thoroghballers comeback fell a little short, with the Bulls etching out the 23-18 win, securing their 1st place seed heading into the tournament.
The Colonels and Ducks was perhaps the most important game of the evening. The winner of this game was going to secure the 4 seed and advance for a chance to win the championship. The first half was filled with a lot of back and forth scoring between Aris of the Ducks and Abby of the Colonels. The defense threat from Caroline of the Ducks gave fits to the Colonels backcourt, so Coach Trey had to change up his dribble drive offense and have his power forward, Alison, take over the offense. It proved to work in the final minute with the Colonels winning 17-14.
The last game of the regular season was between the Wildcats and Raptors. With the Raptors sitting in the 2 seed, the Wildcats knew what they needed to do to pull off an upset. A collaborative team scoring effort was achieved with Christian, Bradley, Caleb, and Nancy, all putting up points on the board. The Raptors, led by Victor, struggled to contain the Wildcats many offensive threats. Going down into the final few possessions, Victor and Kevin of the Raptors made some big plays to secure the victory. It was so close and truly March Madness.
SEMIFINALS
With the top 4 seeds set to play in the championship, it was clear it was going to be anyone’s ballgame.
On March 31st, the first game of the evening tipped off to a packed gymnasium filled with students and staff. The Bulls and Colonels were set to play with one of them advancing to the championship game later that night. Anna of the Bulls came out red hot, putting up 10 points. Caitlyn and Anna Hart both drained 3’s in the first half showing just how dangerous the Bulls shoot abilities were. Abby and Alison of the Colonels were dangerous as well. Abby put up 12 points with Alison adding 4. The inside presence of big Joe’s hook shot (6ft 5), ended up being too much for the Colonels to contain and allowed the Bulls to advance with a final score of 26 – 18.
Before the last semifinal game, the Wildcats and Ducks put on a basketball showcase that was truly a defensive minded game. The Wildcats were determined to secure a win in their final showcase. The defensive playing of both teams proved true as both teams struggled to score. With a final score of 8-6, The Wildcats ended the season with their first win! Huge congratulations to the Wildcats!
Who was going to advance to play the Bulls in the championship? Was it going to be the Thoroughballers or Raptors? Janie of the Thoroughballers put up season high numbers, leading a strong offense against Brandon Cheak’s Raptors. With the Raptor’s Camray and Scott shutting down the offense of Carson and the Thoroughballers, Janie was relied upon to lead the dribble drive. Putting up 10 points and multiple assists, she proved to be a nightmare for the Raptors. Scott kept the Raptors chances of advancement alive by making some late plays that lead to an impressive 3 point victory, final score 22-19, Raptors. Once looked at as the favorite at winning it all, the Thoroughballers took 3rd place in the league. Again, it proved just how crazy March Madness was!
THE FINALS
*ENTER DRAMATIC BACKGROUND MUSIC*
The time was 6:30pm, the gym was filled to capacity. The intro music starts playing. The Bulls and Raptors entered the court. Who was the favorite to win? People had their guesses, but like most of the season, it was anyone’s ballgame. Dr. Stewart, Sandy Bell, David Sellwood, Creative Dinning, house parents, Student Health, and many more staff joined the student body for the most anticipated game of the year. IT WAS TIME for THE MAIN EVENT!
The Raptors came out strong! Victor scoring 4 points, Scott with 5 points, and Austin with 2 points, all in the first half. The Bulls were only able to put up 6 points collectively between the Anna and Anna duo. Bull’s big man, Joe, was having trouble connecting on his famous hook. With the score at the half being 11 – 6, it looked like it was going to be a runaway for the Raptors. Some adjustments were made and the second half started. Bill of the Bulls was the first to score in the 2nd half. Was it the spark that was needed? Indeed it was. The Bulls went on an 18-8 scoring drive that impressed all. Anna and Anna led scorers with 8 and 10 points respectively, with Joe adding in 4, and Bill with 2. Scott of the Raptors put up an impressive 7 points, with Victor and Austin adding in 6 each. When the final horn rang, it was done. The Bulls climbed their way out of a huge deficit and etched out the Raptors 24-19, winning the Championship! With “We Are the Champions” being played over the loud speakers, the court filled with handshakes, hugs, and congratulatory messages to both Raptors and Bulls players. It was such an amazing night.
Personal notes:
The season was like nothing I’ve experienced thus far. From the moment it was decided we were doing a draft style assembly, to the final game. Every game, every practice, every cheerleading routine, every introduction, brought so much fun, excitement, and entertainment to everyone on campus. To the other coaches – Brandon, Abby, Trey, Jeremy, and Michael, it was so much fun to compete but to also help each other’s team play to the fullest. To Zach, Flowers, Robyn, Jen, and Paul, thanks for providing a fun and smooth season! Flowers and Robyn have been named honorary cheerleaders. Speaking of – I can’t forget about the Cheerleaders! Emily’s cheer routines proved to be electrifying and kept the gym loud during halftimes and timeouts! Thank you all so much for that.
I guess I need to mention the refs, more specifically, Marcus. The one who kept things entertaining, the one who wasn’t afraid to make a call. The most unbiased individual in the gym at any time calling games as he saw them. I should know. He gave me a technical for trash talking because he didn’t like my impersonation of him. Let me clarify first, he is my triplet brother :). Thanks for a fun season, Marcus. I’m still older than you…
In closing, it took a village to put this league on. We couldn’t have done it without so many people and for that, thank you to everyone who made it possible. To end the season, were planning a staff vs student game compiled of everyone who was part of the league. Following the game there will be a banquet on April 12th with awards, laughs, and memories to recap a wonderful season. Until then, thank you all for joining in on this journey with us!
-Myles