It is the championship game; the one we have all been waiting for the past four years of our high school career. We have been waiting for this moment, the final seconds of our final game. We, the seniors, stand side by side supporting one another through our final battle as one, as a team, as a family. I examine the expressions of my teammates to the left, and to the right, and see my teammates; eager yet terrified of the final moment of the championship game. We are all not only terrified of what the outcome may be, but that our basketball journey at Pewaukee High School will soon be over. I look to my left, and see Mason- the starting shooting guard- he is my best friend, my brother, my co-captain. The last game is a battle, the two best teams facing each other. One will remember their last game as a victory; the other will remember it as a devastating loss that will forever be marked on their calendars. As time goes on, the beginning of the game grows closer, and we grow more excited.
The game has now started. Opening tip off was a success, and everything appeared to be going our way. I, the starting point guard, senior, and captain of the varsity team, am planning on leading my team to victory. I am a four year starter, standing at a towering six foot five, and already accepted into Marquette University. No matter what happens this game, I know where I will be going after the final seconds of this moment that I will never forget. However, that doesn’t change the mindset I am going into this game with-not accepting anything but a win. Confidence is key, and confident is what I am.
The first half has come to an end. The game is one of the easiest we have ever played. In fact, I would say it is a complete joke. The other team is already beat and has no chance of a comeback. We have so much momentum that it is impossible for them to catch up. It will be a great memory to know that my last game as a Pewaukee Pirate will end in victory.
It is the last minute of the game, and somehow the other team has made a comeback. I let my team down; I should be the one leading them to victory, but instead, we all stand here in shock facing adversity. Nothing seems to be going our way. Our shots aren’t falling, the refs are not giving us any calls, and no one is giving me any support around the basket. The way this game is going, none of us will like the outcome. Right now, we are down by two points and life seems to be at its worst, but luckily we have the ball. As I take the ball up court suddenly everything is in slow motion. Coach is yelling to me from the sidelines to pass to my brother, but this is my game and my chance to put the win in my hands. I will just have to carry my team and all of Pewaukee’s fans on my shoulders. I am the one; the one everyone is watching and expecting to hit the buzzer-beater to decide life or death. They not only expect it of me, they demand it so we can leave with the win and the memories. I look around and again see my teammates, my family. I not only want to win this game for me, and for my fans, but for them, that’s why I will be taking the final shot of the season; the shot that determines leaving with a win or a loss. I stand worried, yet scared am I not- and very surely I am positive. The time had come, I catch the ball with two seconds left, square up as quickly as possible, and release my best shot. I was positive this one was going in, positive. As the ball soars through the air, I feel in my chest that my heart is beginning to beat faster and harder. It is as if life is actually in slow motion; it feels like years since I released the ball and the ball isn’t near the hoop yet. Finally, the ball soars near the hoop, from my angle, it looks like it will be a good shot and I will secure the win. I see the ball hit off the front of the rim, and hear it bounce on the solid floor. The game is over. The other team is jumping around going wild, as I stand there with my hands on my head feeling the sudden urge to cry. Mason immediately comes over to pat me on the back for my well played game and tells me that it was a good shot, and not everyone can go in. After a horrible loss, he is the one person I want to see in front of my teary, blurry eyes, my brother. My journey, my high school basketball career is over. We faced adversity in the game, and could not adapt to it. I felt so confident when I shouldn’t have. Why did I take the last shot? Should I have passed it off? Maybe we could have won the game if I passed it off? I stand there frozen while numerous questions flow through my head as I look around to my teammates who stand there expressing their emotions towards the horrible event that had just occurred.
I worry about how my teammates will treat me: will they be mad at me? Will they hate me? I am the reason we lost this game. If only I would have made the last shot of the season, but I didn’t have it in me to do so. As we sadly stand on our home court and look around at each other, my fellow seniors all gather around me. All crying, we hug each other and talk about our memories: all the practices, all the camps, all the workouts-everything it took to get to this position in life. We would be nowhere without the teamwork and connections we all shared as friends, teammates, and as one family. Each senior hugs me and tells me that I took a great shot, and if anyone should have taken the last shot, that guy should be me. They remind me who I am, and what I can do with a basketball in my hands. I realize how lucky I am to have these kinds of guys around me, ones who will support me all through the ups, and the downs. Even though we lost, I felt satisfied that all would be okay; we played as a team and none of us would ever forget that.
Even though the team was in for a rude awakening, it really opened our eyes. We realized that we are an unbeatable team, but we are just like every other team and must face defeat; fighting for the feeling you experience that last second, the last second that decides life verses death.
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Now, I have moved on, as time grows day by day away from those devastating last seconds of the championship game. I am now attending school at Marquette, and playing ball with a new team, new family, and new organization. Although time has passed, those last seconds of the championship game are forever engraved in my mind. Even though we faced defeat, I will not let it take a huge impact on me. It does not emotionally affect me anymore. I have moved on. I still think about the team and family that will forever be remembered. Memories were created that will never be forgotten. Once a Pewaukee Pirate, always a Pewaukee Pirate. No matter what, we were all champions at heart. The game was a journey; it lead us to become closer and grow as humans. We became better people, and connections grew between each and every one of us. High school basketball wasn’t just a sport, but a journey that forever changed the people we have become.
