Lights shinning all around you, like you're on stage at a concert. With the light gleaming on your face and announcers recognizing everybody as if they were at a boxing match. Even before we start the game fans and parents are screaming their lungs out already. Seeing the determination on our opponents faces while shaking their hands going down the line got our team pumped up for the start of the game. Every team member giving everything they have to come out on top and win that trophy. Nervously waiting on the court for the referee to blow his whistle. Jump ball! Who has it? Game on. Our high school team was ranked number one in the district. All of us girls on the team have been playing together since kindergarten. We were so close and knew each other like the back of our hands. knowing every play by heart and where every person would be on the court, we had confidence in each other and throwing a no-look pass was easy. We were like a huge family which made us very successful on the court.
Our team had won four district games and twenty league games. Leaving one district game left to take us to the District championship. Our last game was played against our biggest opponents in high school going back and fourth with us taking either victory or tears. Both teams were competing for the front page of that daily newspaper. To the people of the community, we were famous. Down by ten or more at the half we realized we needed to kick it into gear. Fourth quarter came around and we pulled ahead in the last final minutes and won a great victory! We were heading to state. Tears of joy ran down our faces. Everyone frantically ran across the basketball court like a stampede of Merkle 2 elephants escaping a lion's grasp.
State was one of the biggest tournaments for basketball. Every team from the district, about 30 teams, were in the state championship. The last time our school made it to state for any sport was back in 2002. Our school