A fine season came to an end for Big Blue today, as the squad took 2nd in the MVBA tournament. Big Blue won their semifinal game this morning with a hard-fought 40-34 victory over a well-coached and talented Mounds View 74 squad. It was an uphill struggle all the way as the Mounds View squad jumped out to an early 10-point lead. But strong defense and a solid second half allowed our lads a chance to go to the lead. Ben's one basket was crucial, as it finally put Big Blue in the lead at 23-22. Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch provided to final margin of victory. Besides Ben's clutch basket, he also grabbed a few rebounds and caused at least 3 turnovers with tough defense.
The championship game was a rematch against mighty Roseville 5, which had rolled through the season undefeated, generally winning games by no less than 20 points. Our lads fought valiantly but came up just a little bit short, falling 37-30. The big and talented Roseville team was significantly taller and stronger than our squad, but the boys played very stout defense and held Roseville's scoring down to about half of what they usually scored during the season. Ben did not score but again played a fine overall game, with at least two rebounds and a steal in extensive action.
Youth sports can be problematic, of course, but coaching kids and watching them improve is a great pleasure. We had a very high-character group of kids on this team and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to work with them. And baseball will be starting soon enough!
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