FORTY EIGHT YEARS
AGO ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, A SCARED FEARFUL SOPHOMORE WAS STATING HIS
SECOND BASKETBALL GAME FOR ALDERSON HIGH SCHOOL , THUS FAR THIS ATHLETE
HAD BEEN A SAGGING FAILURE . THE FIRST GAME AWAY FROM HOME WE WERE
BEATEN BY RAINELLE ABOUT 10 POINTS . COACH HAD USED A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT PLAYERS INSIDE AND NO ONE HAD DONE VERY WELL. NOW IT WAS OUR
FIRST HOME GAME AND HERE I HAD SWEATY HANDS , A FEARFUL BREATH , AND I
WAS ALMOST COWARDLY AND LISTLESS, WE WERE PLAYING RUPERT. THEY HAD
SOME GOOD PLAYERS ESPECIALLY ONE NAMED JR NUTTER . DURING THE FIRST
HALF WE STUNK. IT APPEARED AS THOUGH I WAS A FEARFUL STUMBLING AWKWARD
LUMMOX.
AT HALFTIME GALLOWAY
PUT HIS HAND ON MY HEAD AND TOLD ME TO PLAY LIKE I COULD , AL MCLAUGHLIN
SAID TO BUCK UP WE CAN DO IT. AS THE SECOND HALF STARTED WE WERE
BEHIND 28 TO 14 , CAN YOU IMAGINE A SCORE THAT LOW? THE SECOND HALF
BEGAN AND ANGER PLUS PURE RAGE WELLED UP INSIDE ME. AT THAT MOMENT I
BECAME A CONTRIBUTING PLAYER. OUR TEAM BEGAN TO SCORE ,REBOUND AND BLOCK
SHOTS, WE SWEPT RIGHT PAST RUPERT. A VERY SATISFYING MOMENT IN THE EARLY
4TH QUARTER WHEN I SMASHED A SHOT RIGHT DOWN JR NUTTERS THROAT. THE
FINAL SCORE WAS ALDERSON 49 RUPERT 45 , AT THE END OF THE GAME THE FANS
ROARED OUT OF THE STANDS AND I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE A MIGHTY TOUGH
TEAM.
