Best Day of Girls House Basketball Ever

By Kat McKay

There are times when the girls house basketball league is uninspiring—when games are low-scoring or one-sided or are determined well before the final forty minutes is up. Sometimes, the pace is slow, the players are tired, and the stories are predictable and dull. But not tonight. In all the years I’ve been watching and playing House basketball—since fourth grade, eight seasons ago—I have not encountered a trifecta of games as thrilling as those that were played tonight. From six until nine, the south gym at DHS played witness to the end of a dynasty, two overtime brawls, and a Darius Washington-NCAA-championship last second foul shot. (My game was that third one). I have to write about the night now, while I still have all this adrenaline pumping through me, and while the wins and losses are still fresh.

GAME ONE: Hoosiers v. Blue Devils

The Hoosiers have been this season’s dominant team ever since they added Riley Sousa to their roster many moons ago. On Monday, they scored 57 points against the Wildcats. Nothing should have stopped them. But the Blue Devils, led by seniors Evie Horn and Caylee Waters, is a very good group. And like any actual devil, they had something shifty up their cotton sleeves. I started off the season ranking them dead last. Then, tonight, they pulled the upset of the year. This game, a 6:00 pm early evening affair, ended up in overtime, 32-32. House OT lasts three minutes, and ends like regulation—the team with the higher score at the end of that period wins, and that’s it. The Blue Devils scored the only regular basket of overtime. Then senior superstar Kristy Gilbert was fouled. It came down to two shots. She made one (which, to Kristy’s credit, is a rare circumstance. She’s a phenomenal player). She didn’t make the other. The Blue Devils won it by a single point, sending the Hoosiers to the last place on earth anyone would ever expect them to be—the losers bracket.

Final Score: Blue Devils W, 34-33

GAME TWO: Huskies v. Tarheels

The Huskies have height and speed in junior Alexa Sheldon and senior Emma Hamilton. The rest of their group is heavily underclassmen (of which there are six girls on the lineup), but they’re all dedicated and they’re all good. That was how CT’s home team ended up losing only one regular season game. The Tarheels, on the other hand, had a mediocre season, even though they also had speed (in junior Liz Style) and height (in senior Charlotte Peters). But sometimes it takes the playoffs, and a life-or-death game, for a team to demonstrate its true grit. That’s what the Tarheels did tonight. Both Hamilton and Style were nursing finger injuires, which undoubtedly impacted this game. The match came down to a 19-19 final score, which again threw things into overtime. The Tarheels made a single layup in the entire three minutes, sealing the end of the season for the second-ranked Huskies and a major upset victory for themselves.

Final Score: Tarheels W, 20-19

GAME THREE: Cavaliers v. Sun Devils

The great success of my season was making it to a third game in the playoffs. After shocking the Bears last night, the Cavaliers were riding an unnatural high. We had a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of heat, something that I think the tough Sun Devils didn’t expect. The gym was an explosion for the entire hour—our yellow and orange players trading fouls and shots—which is, ironically, exactly what happens each time we practice across the court from each other. The classic, age-old Brooke Connors/Kathryn Herz dynamic was interrupted early in the game when Herz was injured and had to be taken out. On the Cavalier side, senior Maggie Wells fouled out at the start of the second half, putting some pressure on senior Parker Hamill and junior Caroline McKay.

Then came the drama.

With about fifteen minutes left to play, we were tied, 15-15. Then, with four minutes remaining in the game, the Sun Devils got a shot. And then another. It was 19-15 and something had to happen. Three minutes left and freshman Gabby Donato, who had a stellar night, racked up a free throw. 19-17, Cavaliers down by one, two minutes left.
            The clock was moving on, and things were moving around, but not quickly enough. We were unable to make something happen, until right at the final instant of the game, when a player on my team was fouled attempting a three-pointer. There was .1 seconds left on the clock. This person didn’t make two or three of the shots, which was fine. The excitement was what mattered. It was a thrilling end to a great season.

Final score: Sun Devils W, 19-17

Four teams remain in the battle for house glory: the Blue Devils (undefeated in the playoffs!!), the beaten-down Hoosiers, the Sun Devils (a threat every single year), and the Tarheels (sneaking in at last). I’m shocked the Huskies are gone; I’m shocked the Cavaliers weren’t earlier. My money is still on the Hoosiers, but they have to win another two games before they can show up at the important one.

The championship game is set for this Saturday at 3:00 pm at the DHS lower gym.

No matter what two teams end up playing that day, it’s going to be a great show. See you there--!