The Austin Packers boys basketball team fell 50-33 to DeLaSalle in the Class 3A championship game Saturday evening. It was the No. 1 seed beating No. 2, and I knew it was going to be a tough game for the "underdog" Packers to come out on top.
Regardless, congratulations to Austin for an amazing season with a final record of 30-1. That's a pretty incredible run that I'm sure the boys - and the Austin community - won't soon forget. How about a cheer for all the Austin fans as well? Word has it they had about 3,500 people as part of the "Red Sea" in the Target Center for the title game. They were part of a 13,000-plus crowd that night, which was the biggest the tournament had seen since 1997.
The game started out pretty close. After watching for a few minutes, I figured that was a good thing for Austin. The longer they could hang with the DeLaSalle team, the better. The defending-champion Islanders moved ahead slightly before the half and went to the locker room with a 28-17 lead.
Comeback falls flat, thanks to 'stall ball'
DeLaSalle came out strong in the second half, and I could tell it was definitely going to be an uphill battle. But Austin didn't give up and they didn't go away. If DeLaSalle wanted another title, it was going to have to earn it. Austin cut the deficit down to 10 with just more than six minutes left in the game. The Packers had the momentum, causing DeLaSalle to take a timeout.
Then things got boring.
DeLaSalle held onto the ball for probably a good minute-and-a-half. They passed. They dribbled. But they stopped playing basketball. It killed any kind of momentum Austin had going and took the game out of reach. What bothered me was that DeLaSalle just sat on its lead. I didn't agree with it. To me, it's the same thing as running up the score or taking a knee to get to overtime instead of going for the win. (1998 Vikings, anyone?)
Is this solely why Austin didn't win the game? Absolutely not. Could Austin have tried to change up their defense or foul during that long stretch of "stall ball" by DeLaSalle? Sure. But there's another solution: A shot clock.
Shot clock? Put it up.
I'll be the first to tell you that basketball is not my go-to favorite sport. It's just not. A big reason (besides the fact that I love baseball and hockey) is all of the fouls, timeouts and slow pace of games that often occurs in the final few minutes. This can be especially true of high school games in Minnesota, where there are no shot clocks.
I know this has been brought up before, and there are various pros and cons, I'm sure. During tourney time, I was involved in a Twitter discussion with Eric Johnson (Austin Daily Herald photographer) and Brendan Burnett-Kurie (Faribault Daily News sports editor) about the shot clock. Brendan even wrote a column about why the state tournament needs one.
As a sports fan, I just think shot clocks need to be there, otherwise it's not very fun to watch. I don't even care how much time you put on it; just get it there. It'll at least put a limit on how long teams can pass the ball around and hopefully cut down on the fouls.
I'm no expert on basketball, but maybe if this one thing changed, I'd enjoy it just a little more. Of course, maybe then there would be something else to make me shake my head. Who knows? But right now, I'm all for giving the shot clock a try at the high school level.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Austin basketball brings good memories
A hearty congratulations to the Austin Packers boys basketball team as they take a 30-0 season into the Class 3A championship game Saturday night against DeLaSalle. It'll be the No. 2 seed (Austin) vs. No. 1 in the tournament.
Austin had a stellar year last season as well, as it made it to the state tournament but lost in the quarterfinals to a tough St. Paul Johnson team. Maybe it's that experience that paid off this time. Or maybe another year playing together gave the Packers some more confidence and ease on the court. Maybe there's some luck involved, too, along with the talent on the floor.
The Packers haven't made their past few games easy on the fans watching. Those with high blood pressure might need medical attention by now. Austin needed overtime to beat Marshall in the state semifinals Thursday, winning 68-65. It was another down-to-the-wire game Wednesday during the quarters as they defeated Blake 59-56.
Things were also close in Section 1 play for the top-seeded Packers. It was an easy quarterfinal game against Kasson-Mantorville, but they were tested in the next game against Winona when they squeaked out the win by a bucket. They needed overtime in order to beat Red Wing in the section final, 52-43.
Packer Pride... and luck
So with all those close games, that's why I think there's some luck running on Austin's side this season. I'm not taking anything away from the skilled players Austin has. It's no easy accomplishment to have an undefeated season. But when you're that talented and that good of a team, you're bound to get some breaks and bounces in your favor to help you out when needed.
Despite the tight outcomes, the bottom line is Austin has found a way to come out on top at the end of the game. Whether it's by 30 points or 1 point.
A bittersweet reminder
On a selfish note, Austin's state tournament run is bittersweet for me. I would love to be there on press row blogging, Tweeting or writing about the games, or at least be a part of the game in some journalistic fashion. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.
I recently moved to Fergus Falls and began work as a reporter for the Daily Journal. As I kept up with the tourney games the past couple days, I realized how much I was rooting for Austin. Probably just as much as I would for my hometown Andover Huskies (who also made the state tournament as heavy underdogs). Maybe it was just the adrenaline of the state tournament, but I longed to be in Minneapolis and a part of the experience.
I thought about how the two years I spent living and working in Austin will hold a dear place in my heart. I met so many great people and amazing friends who I grew to love. I joined a church that I already miss. I learned a lot.
And I think watching the Austin Packers reminded me just how much I'll miss it all.
Austin had a stellar year last season as well, as it made it to the state tournament but lost in the quarterfinals to a tough St. Paul Johnson team. Maybe it's that experience that paid off this time. Or maybe another year playing together gave the Packers some more confidence and ease on the court. Maybe there's some luck involved, too, along with the talent on the floor.
The Packers haven't made their past few games easy on the fans watching. Those with high blood pressure might need medical attention by now. Austin needed overtime to beat Marshall in the state semifinals Thursday, winning 68-65. It was another down-to-the-wire game Wednesday during the quarters as they defeated Blake 59-56.
Things were also close in Section 1 play for the top-seeded Packers. It was an easy quarterfinal game against Kasson-Mantorville, but they were tested in the next game against Winona when they squeaked out the win by a bucket. They needed overtime in order to beat Red Wing in the section final, 52-43.
Packer Pride... and luck
So with all those close games, that's why I think there's some luck running on Austin's side this season. I'm not taking anything away from the skilled players Austin has. It's no easy accomplishment to have an undefeated season. But when you're that talented and that good of a team, you're bound to get some breaks and bounces in your favor to help you out when needed.
Despite the tight outcomes, the bottom line is Austin has found a way to come out on top at the end of the game. Whether it's by 30 points or 1 point.
A bittersweet reminder
On a selfish note, Austin's state tournament run is bittersweet for me. I would love to be there on press row blogging, Tweeting or writing about the games, or at least be a part of the game in some journalistic fashion. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.
I recently moved to Fergus Falls and began work as a reporter for the Daily Journal. As I kept up with the tourney games the past couple days, I realized how much I was rooting for Austin. Probably just as much as I would for my hometown Andover Huskies (who also made the state tournament as heavy underdogs). Maybe it was just the adrenaline of the state tournament, but I longed to be in Minneapolis and a part of the experience.
I thought about how the two years I spent living and working in Austin will hold a dear place in my heart. I met so many great people and amazing friends who I grew to love. I joined a church that I already miss. I learned a lot.
And I think watching the Austin Packers reminded me just how much I'll miss it all.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Not a fan of Danica; Wild get on the board
Boy, am I glad Danica Patrick did not win the Daytona 500.
I was sick of the hype. Of course, she made enough history this year at Daytona with the pole position and being the first woman to lead a lap in a NASCAR race. I'm sure most people, including me, thought that lap led would come on lap one and not in the middle of the race, however.
So good for her. I still can't believe she got the pole. I tried to recall if she ever had the top spot during her IndyCar days, but I don't think that was the case.
I think what really gets me is that yet another IndyCar driver has made the move to race with the big boys in NASCAR. Some have had success, others haven't. Patrick won a race in Japan during her IndyCar career. That's it. It's not like she's this amazing driver who's taking her stellar career to bigger and better things. She's a woman. That's the only reason I can see for all the hype.
Wild start scoring
The Minnesota Wild are playing some average hockey. Play at home has been superior to road games, though goals have been hard to come by, no matter the venue. If they would just shoot the puck a little more, they might see some more tallies on the scoreboard. The passing and cycling behind the net has plagued the Wild in the past as well.
Thursday was a good night for the Wild, however. The team traveled to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes. They won the game 4-3, but that score is deceiving. The Wild were in control for much of the game, scoring the first goal just 90 seconds in.
Dany Heatley had two goals for the Wild, which had a 4-1 lead before the Coyotes got a goal on a weird bounce off the board that snuck by Niklas Backstrom, and then their third goal came with less than a minute left in the game.
I was sick of the hype. Of course, she made enough history this year at Daytona with the pole position and being the first woman to lead a lap in a NASCAR race. I'm sure most people, including me, thought that lap led would come on lap one and not in the middle of the race, however.
So good for her. I still can't believe she got the pole. I tried to recall if she ever had the top spot during her IndyCar days, but I don't think that was the case.
I think what really gets me is that yet another IndyCar driver has made the move to race with the big boys in NASCAR. Some have had success, others haven't. Patrick won a race in Japan during her IndyCar career. That's it. It's not like she's this amazing driver who's taking her stellar career to bigger and better things. She's a woman. That's the only reason I can see for all the hype.
Wild start scoring
The Minnesota Wild are playing some average hockey. Play at home has been superior to road games, though goals have been hard to come by, no matter the venue. If they would just shoot the puck a little more, they might see some more tallies on the scoreboard. The passing and cycling behind the net has plagued the Wild in the past as well.
Thursday was a good night for the Wild, however. The team traveled to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes. They won the game 4-3, but that score is deceiving. The Wild were in control for much of the game, scoring the first goal just 90 seconds in.
Dany Heatley had two goals for the Wild, which had a 4-1 lead before the Coyotes got a goal on a weird bounce off the board that snuck by Niklas Backstrom, and then their third goal came with less than a minute left in the game.
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