Bring on the O
This entry was posted on 1/21/2010 9:06 AM and is filed under Family Fun.
Last night I went and saw our team play Anoka Ramsey.
Anoka is a suburb just north of town and the two schools are perhaps ten miles apart, so they brought quite a few fans along for the game. Years ago, Lady Gator and I would go on up to see the Marauders play at Anoka but we stopped. Even winning in someone else's gym just wasn't that much fun and losing? No. And back in the day, the possibility of losing always seemed more real. Now, when we lose it's shocking. Shocking, I tell ya.
Sometimes winning can be shocking, too.
Because we are perennial favorites, teams tend to come into our gym hyped up and loaded for bear. They usually play their very best against us. At least for as long as they can. Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes we don't respect our opponents enough and that's the Achilles heel of a great team and I'm not even sure this year's team can be considered good, much less great.
Anoka Ramsey looked very good, indeed. They jumped out to a lead on us and pretty much thrashed us throughout the first half. They had several guys who were hitting from outside the arc seemingly at will and we didn't seem to be able to make a layup with any kind of consistency. I'm not sure what the most was we were down by but for quite a while we were down by 8-12. It may have been as much as 15, which is really depressing.
There were a lot of AR fans sitting in the same section that we were in. (There were seven Pivec's adding voice to the MCTC crowd) The AR fans were having a lovely evening with plenty to cheer about. They had us by five at the half.
But we're a second half team. Always have been. I knew Jay and Ron were cooking up something brilliant in the locker room. Someday, Jay should write a book about what happens in his locker room. Once, his team played so badly in the first half that he left the bench a minute or two early and when his team came in, they found him there dressed head to toe in game gear, announcing that he would play the second half himself, cuz he couldn't be any worse than his guys. Turns out all they needed was a good laugh to clear their heads and they dominated the second half to win.
So, while down by five isn't where I like to be at the half, we weren't too worried.
But we came out in the second half and not much seemed to have changed. We'd score then they'd hit a three. We'd steal the ball then turn it over before we could score. I don't know anything about basketball, but I'm pretty sure that's not good. We managed to claw our way to within a point but we just couldn't break it open.
Right around the 15 minute mark, we called a time out and I noticed Jay and Ron conversing with each other, away from the team and it reminded me of the scene in Bull Durham where onlookers wonder what sort of discussions occur during those pitcher's mound meetings.
In retrospect (I haven't asked him yet) I'm pretty sure Jay and Ron were wondering if it was time to unleash the O.
Omar Omar (number 0) is one of the smallest guys to play for us. We've had a few tiny guys over the course of the years. Think about it; in order to be that small and play for this team, you've gotta be able to do something really well.
The AR fans around us were hooting and cheering and having a swell time. I resentfully thought to myself " this is our house and this game isn't over yet." That thought was quickly followed with "I'm gonna punch Jay in the head if we lose."
I think the fact that I'm such a bad loser is part of why Jay wins so much. I've never actually punched him in the head.
Of course, I've wanted to.
He knows this.
ANYWAY one turnover later Jay and Ron opened the O box.
Like Frodo Baggins, sneaking into Mordor on small, quite feet to do what the mightiest armies of Middle Earth couldn't accomplish, Omar Omar, #0 took Anoka Ramsey by the scruff of the neck and shook them till their teeth fell out.
THREE POSSESSIONS IN A ROW, HE HIT THREE POINTERS FROM WAY OUTSIDE THE ARC AND BOOM! WE WERE UP BY TEN.
Not only did that completely deflate AR--they couldn't do anything right for the rest of the game--it was as if it gave the rest of our team permission to get on their A game. The rest of our guys ramped up their play a few notches and in no time, we were up by twenty.
We dominated the last ten minutes so thoroughly that when we gained possession of the ball with 25 seconds left to play, the crowd began to clap and the two teams began shaking hands on a game well played as the clock just ran down to 0.
It was the sickest game I've ever seen.
And I have joined the cult of Omar.
