Still Hanging On

When you're in a sport your senior year, you're kind of like this icicle – hanging on as long as you can, as the polar vortex comes to an end. Our Lady Royals are the same way.

Tonight, coming off their regional championship last Saturday, they entered the Division 5 sectional semi-final. In other words, the season is coming to an end and they needed two more wins to get to state. But of course, I'm sure coach reminded them, focus on one game at a time!

I always get nervous because I never want their last game to be, well, their last game. The other night when the boys lost, it was different. We had no seniors on the team. They all can play again next year and hopefully take it even further. The girls, though, have four seniors trying their hardest to be that longest-lasting icicle!

This evening they played at home against Independence, another small school about two hours west of here, not quite to the Mississippi River. Never met them on the court (or any playing surface or sport) before. (Glad the pandemic and weather cooperated enough so they could play because that did impact at least one playoff game tonight.)

When we were down by 10 or 12 points a few minutes in, I texted hubby, "Oh fudge." He replied, "Patience."

He's so smart. 

With more than 7 minutes to go in the first half, we took the lead and didn't look back. It was still a close and physical game. But our scrappy girls came out on top 63-49 and will hang on another day! 

Much rejoicing and masked hugging! 

So Saturday they'll travel all the way down to Wauzeka-Steuben High School – which is almost 3 hours away and sort of in the neighborhood of Prairie du Chien at the southwestern edge of the state. A win there and they punch their ticket to state.

Sadly, I realized that with an away game for the final, tonight was my last night with the seniors. I've sort of commandeered the home court this year with my picture-taking. That doesn't cut it with the away games and current COVID crowd-size restrictions. Thank goodness for the internet live-streaming opportunities! Hopefully we'll be doing the happy dance in our recliners on Saturday.

Good luck, Lady Royals! Keep hanging on!