One Fun Basketball Game

I don't have any pictures to go with this post. We were not on our "game" this game with pictures and didn't take any but I want to record it for memory's sake.

Last Friday (7/15) Evan had a basketball game and it was so fun!

At this level of play, usually once one team starts pulling ahead, the game continues with that team dominating the game. "Usually" being the key word. Come backs do happen but they are usually few and far between.

Also at this level, they play 5 - 8 minute periods. The 1st 4 periods you can only do "half court press" which means that you can only play defense on the half of the court that the other team is trying to score on. Then during the 5th period, full court press is allowed which means that you can defend on the whole court.

So, this game started and the other team went up 7 - 0 pretty quick. We were like "oh nuts. This is going to be a rough one."  I can't remember the exact timing of all the scoring but it was pretty close to this:

The 1st period the other team dominated.  Yikes!

The 2nd period we rallied back and tied the game. A very nice come back!

The 3rd period we dominated and pulled ahead. Sweet! We thought we were good for the game since come backs are rare.

The 4th period the other team rallied back and brought the score to a TIE within SECONDS of the buzzer! Holy Cow! It was an intense game! Their parents went nuts screaming.

Then the 5th period started and we were tied at 16-16. The energy level was HIGH in that gym! It is always amazing to me how intense 3rd/4th grade basketball can get! The players went out on the court and Evan wasn't among them. Bummer! We were hoping he would play in the last period but he wasn't starting so we didn't know if it would happen. Then with about 3-4 minutes left in the game, the coach subbed some players and sent Evan in. Yippee!

Honestly, the kid came out on FIRE! I have no idea what got into him but he was AMAZING!  Evan is good at defending and during the first 4 periods of a game, he will run back and stand on the 1/2 court line waiting for them to cross it so he can attack. Well, with full court press, he didn't have to wait to the half court line and would attack as soon as they got the ball.  He played so good. It was so fun to watch. In the last few minutes of the game, he scored 4 baskets and 1 free throw for a total of 9 points! In minutes! He just kept stealing the ball and shooting and scoring! It was awesome!

I might have been screaming really loud. Like REALLY LOUD! Sorry other parents - I was a little excited!

We ended up winning by 11 points, 9 of which Evan scored. It was just truly an awesome experience. He played so good. I always enjoy watching him play, even when he doesn't score any points, but it sure was fun watching him play when he was on fire. Wow. I have never seen him play like that. The stars must have aligned in his favor that night! Way to go Evan! We are so proud of you!