Aud Night

So, I just got done watching myself on TV. Why was I on TV? I was on TV because I was at the Barre Auditorium last night for some semi-final basketball. It was a pretty solid night. The first game was relatively predictable given that Proctor has been losing more and more players every year from what was once their dynasty. When you combine that with the fact Twinfield was led by 6'6" junior Chad Copeland. Proctor simply did not have anyone with enough size to match up with him. The loss by Proctor was only the second one that I have seen in my life. Then, in the second game, I really did not know anything about Fair Haven before this game, but they gave U-32 the type of run few others have. Fair Haven was zoned in from three-point land, and that was ultimately what put them ahead. They also played a solid all around game, but the long-range shooting was definitely the difference. It was kind of hard to watch a team that you have watched so closely to get knocked out in a game they were supposed to win, but it was definitely a great match. It is always good to go to the Aud!

Photo by Murray State on Flickr

Playoff Fever

It is playoff basketball time for the boys now in Vermont. Two games in the past two nights. Last night's game was particularly exciting given that it was actually a decent matchup between Spaulding and Essex. Spaulding was in control most of the game largely because of solid play on their part, but it cannot be discounted that Essex had major problems finding the net. When you combine that with the return of Evan Tullar and a huge effort from Lucas Dutil and it was a recipe for success. I know that I just highlighted a few names, but I seriously think that the entire team played well and outmatched Essex.

Tonight, the game wasn't quite so close. I was taking in U-32 versus Lyndon. Whenever there is a matchup between the 15 seed and the 2 seed, there are bound to be mismatches. However, it is rare to see a team pretty much play the bench for the entire fourth quarter with one exception that I can remember for about one minute. Nevertheless, it was a fun game, and it was good to see U-32 move on to the next round where they are only one step away from the fabled Barre Auditorium.

Photo by  ktylerconk on Flickr

Deadline Deal

Knowing the fact there is a snow storm coming up from the south doesn't make me happy. However, today is going to be very warm, well very warm for winter, so that is happy. And it's Friday, so that is good as well. It is kind of interesting how the NBA trade deadline has been pretty active. Obviously, the Knicks were the big movers, but they have a lot of deals in general. The only thing I don't like about these giant deals in the NBA is that the rosters are not very large, so trading four or five players is almost trading half of the team. Nothing is technically wrong with this, but I would have to assume that it is hard to rebuild the team chemistry when half of the team is traded away. Obviously, it can be done because the NBA always seems to have one blockbuster deal in the middle of every season. All of this being said, I hope that all of the deals work out well for the teams involved, but I also think that Denver will regret this deadline. Carmelo was their star and franchise player, so I don't understand why they let him go regardless of cost.

Photo by Mike Saechang on Flickr

Rivalry Renewed

So, the rivalry between Montpelier and U-32 is revived tonight when the girls square off at Montpelier. As you might imagine, there is a pretty healthy rivalry between these two schools which are situated probably about 5 miles apart. It will be fun though as it always is when rivals meet, but I wish that the girls' crowd was as energetic as the boys'. I don't know why, but it always seems like there are more people there for boys' games than girls'. This style of play is normally different, but I think that both can be a lot of fun assuming that good teams are playing. It makes the game kind of boring when it is just turnover after turnover with sloppy play no matter if boys or girls are playing. I think that boys play at a faster tempo, but I feel that girls tend to plan more as a team although that is a sweeping generalization on both counts. Nevertheless, they are slightly different games, but they can be appreciated for what they are. Tonight, hopefully the third quarter will go better for U-32 than it did last time, then maybe they will be able to come away with the victory this time.

Photo by Håkan Dahlström on Flickr

Dunk Contest

I thought that last night was pretty awesome. First of all, power soccer went very well. I think that the team played pretty well, and I also thought that I did relatively well. Then, I got to come home and watch the Slam Dunk Contest along with the other All-Star events. I think that we all knew that Blake Griffin was going to win. First of all, how would he not win the popularity contest? Of all of the players in the dunk contest, I would daresay that he was by far the most well-known, so obviously people will vote for him. That being said, I think that he won the final round deservedly. I loved how he jumped over the car and all of the theatrics that went along with it, but it didn't even look that hard for him. I also thought that any time a guy dunks from the free-throw line, he deserves a 50. The TV announcers seemed to agree with me. The three-point shootout went well, but my money would have been on Ray Allen just because he is ridiculous. However, that didn't happen, and I was honestly happy with the underdog pulling it out.

Photo by joshme17 on Flickr

Gym Time

Well, another day down, another day in the gym. Seriously though, I do enjoy any basketball games, but I particularly enjoy high school games. The way I figure it, there is a varsity and junior varsity game every night. The same price applies whether you go to one game or both. Therefore, it would be irrational to not get more enjoyment for the same price. That is my theory, and even though sometimes JV games aren't necessarily great (although tonight's was pretty close and competitive), it is worthwhile to be there because it is definitely basketball, and that is a good thing. Also, if you're traveling to a faraway game, it is hard to drive there for over an hour, sit for less than two hours, and then be back in the vehicle driving over an hour again. That means that there's less basketball than driving, so that isn't good. It is much more worthwhile to sit longer than you have to drive. Of course, this isn't always true if you have to drive for two hours to get a game, but the point is that you get the most enjoyment for your time. Therefore, two games tonight went over pretty well.

Photo by Collin Anderson on Flickr