So I’m writing this blog to you after the women’s dramatic double-overtime loss to OU. I apologize for the lack of optimism, but it really was a heartbreaker. You most likely saw it on FSN or listened to Mike Castellano and I make the call, but what more can you say about that team?
It was one of, if not the best, game of basketball I had ever seen in my entire following of sports.
“BG down by 13.”
Then, “ BG up by 7.”
Then back and forth and back and forth.
Achter gets her 5th foul and has to sit. Ugh. What a hit.
“OVERTIME”
Back and forth, back and forth.
Tara Breske fouls out in this time. Now our two best players have to sit and watch four freshmen attempt to hold down the fort and go for the win against an Ohio Bobcat team nowhere near foul trouble. Uh oh.
“DOUBLE-OVERTIME!”
And the freshmen held extremely well. I was really proud of Tracy Pontius and how she handled the basketball as well as led the Falcons at the point. She is going to be a Kate Acter in-the-making. Crystal Murdaugh hits a key field goal from about 15 feet away and tore down two key rebounds on both sides of the court to keep the Falcons alive. Jen Uhl played pretty good post defense. You can tell she is going to improve and bring the energy the team will need in years to come. Prochaska, what can’t you say about her play. Twos, threes, boards, she does it all. They all played well.
Then the heartbreaking miss that closed the book on the Falcon’s MAC Tournament hunt.
My heart had never beaten so hard in my life as that game winded down and ended the way that it did. My hands hit my head, covered my eyes, and I let a huge breathe out when Uhl’s three hit back iron and bounced away from the rim.
In a way, I’m really glad I wasn’t on play-by-play. We teach as announcers to remain as unbiased as possible when making the call in order to become better broadcasters, but when your heart is with the team and inside you are screaming “GO FALCONS!!!”, it’s really hard. It took a lot in me to not be that disgruntled fan to let out that moan of grief, and to be honest I probably did without realizing it.
And that was it. 0:00 and the score reads BG: 66 OU: 68. The team had its shot. They held out better than I expected them to. But the ball doesn’t always bounce your way I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever been more immediately emotionally moved by a sporting event. It certainly was painful to know what was at stake, what could have been, and to have expectations unfulfilled.
Yet, you must throw an optimist’s twist on everything. The team you saw take an experienced and deep Bobcat team in double OT is the team you will see next year, and with the exception of Lindsay Goldsberry, will be the team for the next three years. Get ready Falcon fans, women’s basketball isn’t going anywhere.
I’m on the bus now and needless to say it’s a very quiet bus-ride. iPods are plugged in, many are trying to sleep the heartbreak away and we are on our way back to BG earlier than expected. There is still the WNIT coming. Monday we will find out what the scenario is, but there is still a post-season to be played for the Falcons. It may not be a MAC Championship and NCAA appearance banner, but now, the mission is nothing less than WNIT champions. It’s not over yet!
ROLL ALONG FALCON FANS!
