It’s a Victory … Win or Lose

By the time you are reading this, the Boys State Basketball Tournament will be in its final days. Our boys will be either home or playing for the championship … either way will be fine. The outcome is important, don’t think for a moment it’s not, but it’s for all the right reasons. They have worked hard and have earned whatever they achieve.

The first time, in 2017, it seemed enough to just be there. Walking into Wells Fargo Arena and taking it all in was a reward in and of itself. That team was like a fine tuned machine. No one was surprised they were there; they were an excellent team, one of the best that ever donned the black and gold. Their first round loss was sad, but they had made history. They were the first boys basketball team in NL school history to make it to the Well. Again it seemed like enough.

Then there is the 2023 version. No one expected, except the true believers, that this could be their destiny. I mean they lost their first game of the season to Van Buren County, a team they routinely beat and did soundly beat the next time around. But WACO beat them and so did West Burlington … twice, but not by much. Notre Dame was a blowout, but reasons could be found.

No casual observer thought they would go. They wouldn’t get past WACO. The local announcers were so sure that they discussed where WACO might go for substate … before the game started. A one-point Tiger victory … were they just lucky? W-MU will get them. But the Tigers’ leading scorer fouling out in the third quarter wasn’t enough. The rest of the Tigers just stepped up. OK, well Marquette Catholic would take them down. An overtime one-point victory later, the improbable Tigers were on their way to the Well. They believed and that was enough.

The Tigers will be playing the one-seed when they face Grand View Christian. Is there any magic left … that remains to be seen. But no one gave David a chance when he went up against Goliath. So however far these Davids, our giant slayers, get in the tournament, it is all good.

They have proved they are a team of destiny. They are all great kids and they represent the best of us. So Blaise, Kade, Brendan, Leo, Rylan, Vini, Memphis, Brigham, Tate, Kye, Carter, Cale, and Deangelo … and of course their coaches … whatever trophy you bring home is fine with us … we couldn’t be prouder!