Mandatory Basketball Rant 2021-22 Week 11

 This might have been the year that started late, but it's turning more into the year that will not die.   With AAU tryouts last weekends, and teams being formed, and tournament schedules out, I'm ready to call it a season and move onto Spring ball, but people just won't let go.

Millie's Travel Team: Currently just having a few practices.  Tournaments the weekend of 2/25-2/27 and 3/4-3/6 will officially close out the chapters of these blog series.  Not everyone is doing the tournaments, so it will be more fun than competition when the girls play the better teams.  Experience matters (see below).

The Local Rec League:  Is most in need of a double-tap to end it all. Playoffs have started and many of the parents have upgraded to post-season psycho mode.  To top it off, certain board members who don't volunteer dominate the voting for expanding activities for certain divisions, when certain divisions should be done with the year (I'm looking at you Kindergarten).  I'm certainly not volunteering for any more functions through the rest of the season, save updating the brackets. 

In Millie's league, the playoffs went single elimination and they drew the heavy favorite to win.  With very little support, and a few lucky shots from that support, their rally fell short 26-20.  They do have a consolation game this weekend, and outside of a 6th grade workout and meet-and-great, Millie's time with the league might be coming to an end. 

Maja's 7th Grade: The girls missed the Hazleton league last weekend because the 7th and 8th grade teams were headed into the league playoffs (and Millie wanted to cheer on her friends on the team, if not her big sister).  

The Saturday semi-final game for the 8th graders was a tooth-and-nail drag-out brawl, but for Maja's 7th graders, it was another 20-point blowout.  All the girls got playing time and continue to do well, and Maja benefits from mixing it up with the A-team, and holding things down as the Center on the B-squad.   Even the girls still recovering from a dislocated butt (the diagnosis is actually quite scary, but we'll keep the levity up) play significant minutes after two weeks off.  

Sunday was the championship game, significantly delayed by a double-overtime game for the Division 2 (bottom tier) championships.  Those girls finally found a proper competition level and played their hearts out one more time.  

The 7th graders cruised to a 37-17 championship victory with their full roster.   

The 8th graders had a depleted roster against a 8th grade Wyoming Valley West team bolstered with 7th graders, so the coach decided turnaround was fair play.   The 8th graders started to a barn-burner of a 1st quarter score 2-1, but then played the top three 7th graders as the game went by.    I think the game was a 29-18 victory for our girls, with the game finally put away in the third quarter.  There was grumbling from the other team, but just like the previous weekends when the 8th graders were non-existent, the rules were followed and the team couldn't be overly stacked with 7th graders far better than the 8th graders.... just three of them. 

Regardless of controversy:

Maja's Freshman Team:   At the Freshmen level, there appears to be four very good programs, then everyone else,  Maja's team lost a heartbreaker in the final game of the season 42-40, which meant they split each series against the other three good teams. No shame in a 12-3 season, and they could call it quits.  

Except that win dropped them in a first-place tie with Dallas for the League Championship (9th Grade has a league championship?  Who knew?).  So one more final game was added to the schedule on Friday for all the marbles, the whole ball of wax.

This surprise game left the girls coming out of the gate, down 9-3 after 1, and 20-10 at the half.   

No one is sure what was said in the locker room at halftime, but they came roaring, back, winning the game 49-34.  That's outscoring the opponent 39-14 in the second half. 

Maja's line scoring was significant more than large,  a quick jumper which gave the team its first lead all game, and another two points that gave them the lead they would never relinquish.  Not a shabby way to end a crazy season, with championships for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade.