The young man stood there silently watching the clock on the scoreboard at the far end of the building begin its descent to the place where there would be no more time. The numbers on the scoreboard seemed to burn a hole in his memory. The numbers read 57 to 48. It added up to another loss. The season was over. Richmond would move on and Muncie Central would go home.
Three years ago, when he had first started attending Central, he had experienced such high aspirations. It had been a difficult move. Most of his friends had opted to attend Muncie Northside. He wondered now if he had made the right choice. Each time the tourney started, just being a good team was not enough. Each of the past three years they had been eliminated. Now, he only had one more year to attain his goal. As to reinforce his thoughts he was brought back to the consciousness of the moment when a man walked by and said, You will get them next year.
He was really tired. They had come so close and this only added to the frustration and disappointment he was feeling sitting there at the end of the bench. The celebration the other end of the gym seemed so ill timed, as the tourney had only just started. The way they were acting you would think they had just won the state. This was his goal.
The summer was coming to an end. The job at the bank had been very rewarding as it had the previous times. The people were so nice to work with. Baseball season was over. The decision not to play baseball had been a difficult one. After considering the advantages as well as the disadvantages, the decision to limit his concentration to basketball seemed the right choice. School would start again in two weeks. The long hours of running and shooting free throws had paid dividends. His free throw percentage had gone from 85% to over 90% on a consistent basis.
He had talked with Jerry and Brent earlier that day and they all had the same goal. Another championship. The last one had been 15 years ago. Coach Harrell had been very supportive. This was something he wanted as well. The statement he had made at the end of the last season made that very clear. In two weeks his senior year would be starting. He had given his notice at the bank and would miss them all.
Practice for the varsity and junior varsity would start in just over two months. The IHSAA did not forbid individual practice, but prohibited school sanctioned practices until after November 1st. All summer he had played in match-up games whenever he could. Some of the guys from Northside, as well as some of his own team members, had participated. He had noticed that a freshman named Rick Rowray had been at many of the games. He had potential and would be a starter within a year or two most likely. He was still growing even as a freshman. Everyone there had been willing to help with his development. It had been fun.
The start of the new school would mean he could see Dorothy every day as well. They had been dating for what seemed like forever. When he was not with her he missed her so much. She was so supportive with what he wanted to accomplish and he felt fortunate to have found her.
The pep rally was over. The first home game was to be played that night. Their opponent was Monroe Central. They had lost their first game last season to that same team and the determination to not let that happen this year had been the focus of the pep session. Each player had been introduced and had been required to say a few words. The words of Coach had been very clear and to the point. He told them that this team had the potential to be one of the best teams in the state and that banner number 6 could be a reality. He asked for their support and had received an overwhelming response. He had butterflies. He had heard all those comments about how they would demolish their opponents. He had learned too much the past three years to assume too much.
The sound of the Marty Morries brought him back to reality. He heard the familiar words, Welcome to the opening game of the Muncie Central Bearcats for the 1977-78 season. He listened attentively as the visiting Bears were announced. He remembered some of the names from last year. One of their starters had graduated, but they were still very tough. Then the reserves were announced followed by the starters for the Bearcats. He heard his name being called. He ran between the line formed and gave several exchanges to his teammates. The national anthem was next. He would never get tired of hearing this.
As soon as the game started, he seemed to lose the nervousness. Then, almost as soon as it had started the game was over. He watched from the bench as they crossed the century mark. This was the first time in his high school career they had accomplished this. They had come close on several occasions, but had not reached that plateau. A minute later, the game was over. The final score was 103 48 in their favor. What a difference a year made. All those practices had paid off. The entire team had contributed in this game. He was informed later that night that he had scored 38 points. The entire team had played well.
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