On an abnormally beautiful March evening when many people were busy watching the State Hockey Tournament or NCAA Championship games, the real magic occurred in a Twin Cities gym overlooking the Mississippi River. Our Spartans played in a thriller against the Minnehaha Redhawks. It was a quarterfinal matchup, the 2 seed vs the 7 seed and our boys were the latter. Earlier in the season the Spartans had been defeated by the Redhawks decisively. Head Coach Kevin McKenzie who is in his fourth year guiding the Spartans had never beaten Minnehaha. The pieces were in place for a David and Goliath story. You would not have been dumb to write the Spartans off as underdogs. But did they play like underdogs? Hell No.
The Spartans came out playing their way, with tough, stingy defense. At first the Redhawks jumped out to an eight point lead but the boys quickly regrouped and went on a beautiful run that gave them a 20-15 lead. Dalante "the Chosen One" Peyton had a few clutch transition baskets during this run and you could be forgiven for mistaking him for a man rather than an eighth grader. The referees were not calling much but the Spartans did not let this get to them and continued to run their offense with great patience. At the half our Spartans had the lead and all of sudden they were no longer as heavy underdogs as many believed them to be. They sent the Redhawks into the locker room with fear in their eyes.
It would have been just fine if the game ended right there but as we all know too well there are two halves in a game and the Spartans would have to play their hearts out for this one. The second half began much like the first with the Redhawks looking a little stronger but the Spartans were quick to calm down. Spencer Egly took over at one point and the offense ran beautifully. Under pressure, the Spartans continued to stay with the Redhawks and eventually jumped out to a small lead. Big man Connor Allen played an integral role with timely close range transition baskets. Pretty soon the Spartans had Minnehaha and their fans rattled. Our boys were patient and continued to draw fouls on the inside. The Chosen One hit a three from the corner and Josh "Slim Shady" Gray along with his fellow junior captain Spencer Egly hit their fair share of free throws to keep the Spartans up. And before you knew it there was less than a minute left and the Spartans had the game in hand by the slimmest of margins; 68-67 with 35 seconds left. The Spartans set up their potential final drive and Josh Gray was fouled. Slim Shady went 1-for-2 from the line and the Spartans went up 69-67. The Redhawks however acted like they had been there before and went the length of the court to hit a game tying bucket. 69-69. However they made one small mistake, they allowed the Spartans to have 6 seconds to finish the game off. As I told my co-Manager, Spencer Bemel, various times throghout this second half, I could not feel my face.
After a long pause in play the Spartans lined up to try to end the game once and for all. Sophomore Harrisen "the Truth" Egly inbounded the ball to the Chosen One who immediately passed it right back to him. Egly made a run down the left sideline. He got to the three point line and put up a marvelous shot which ended up into the net. There were just tenths of a second left, but it was not enough for the Redhawks. Game. Set. Match. Upset.
The Spartans knocked out the heavily favored Redhawks in the best game they played all season.
Things have a funny way of working themselves out. The Spartans had lost seven straight games in the second half of the season and it seemed that their season had ended long ago. But now they have won 5 of their last 6 and they seem like a new revitalized squad. Credit to the boys for believing and never giving up. They have had to overcome a lot of adversity this season and everything is starting to come together at the right moment. They are winning when it counts.
The Spartans will take on the Concordia Beacons in the Semifinals on Tuesday night at Holy Angels Academy. The two teams split their regular season series and the matchup will not disappoint. All of a sudden our Spartans are two games away from the State Tournament. Do you believe? Why Not.
As I spoke to Harrisen yesterday, after he hit the shot that was all too reminiscent of Josh Gray's Golden Goal during soccer season, he explained to me how he was laying in bed the other night thinking what it would be like to hit a game winning shot. Well, Harrisen, now you know.
Go Spartans!
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