[deadballfreaK]

I graduated in 1972. We had a great football team (went like 18-1-1 in two years) but it was 8 man football and so we couldn't even get a chance at a state championship. Small school. Three years after I graduated our school consolidated with two other small towns and all of a sudden our basketball team came together. The best players were all from our town, but we got a couple of good bench players from the other really small towns and a guy about 6'4" transferred in who was a fair center. I think we started like 1-4 and then won about 22 straight games. This was in Indiana before they broke up into the present system. Our guys kept winning and winning and beat a lot of bigger schools. It was all teamwork. No real stars. Had a couple guys who were good for 15 points. We got one game away from the championship. Got down early by 10-12 against a huge talented team. Our guys battled like crazy and kept cutting it down. We were down 4 through most of the 4th quarter but couldn't quite do it. Lost by 6 points I think. It was almost like "Hoosiers". My home town is just as proud of those guys as if we had won it all.

About 15 years later we had a charity event. Two man game to 20 with various age groups. Me and my buddy entered as a lark and we were amazingly good. Mowed em down, but then we finally came up against the best two players from our heroic 1975 team. We were kicking their ass. Up 16-10 and I just wore out and I think my buddy did too. It was like our 4th game in 2 hours and my lungs quit! The guy guarding me just posterized me about 2 times in a row. Couldn't get my feet off the floor I was so tired! 10 points in a row and they won the championship 20-16. I tried so hard they almost had to give me oxygen.

This sure is a rambling post, but I guess the moral is winning isn't everything. Battling your hardest and finishing second is something you can look back on and be proud of.