See number 50 shooting the free throw? That's my boy! He was on fire this game. The whole team was. What a difference it makes when the 5 guys out on the court are playing like a team. They can move mountains! And they did. The gray and red team they are playing against is Lakeville North. Our long time rival. We have never beat them in 5 years of playing against them. But not this night. This night we went out there and whooped up on them to the shock of everyone.
The game was ours right from the start. Number 4 - Nathan, swished 3 3-pointers to put us on top within the first two minutes. That boosted our teams' moral big-time. Suddenly, we remembered everything we've ever learned these past five years of playing ball. We passed like pros. We rebounded. We stole the ball. We made every fast-break we took. We followed actual plays. It was a dream come true. Not only for Bennett and his team but for those of us who have spent countless hours in the stands cheering them on year after year. We couldn't contain our excitement.
Bennett ended up with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist. His best game to date. The team was unstoppable this one game on this one night. We won the game 62-51. The highlights never made it to ESPN. No one else will probably ever hear of this single win in an otherwise less than stelar season to an average 8th grade boys B team. But we will never forget it. It's the memory that will propel them forward when they need to draw on something from the past in situations that require the "I think can, I think can, I think can..." mentality. We couldn't have been prouder. Who needs a superbowl ring or an NCAA Championship title or Nike endorsement? We have the David vs. Goliath win over Lakeville North. That's all we need.
