I've always wondered what it would be like to be on the court when the confetti falls from the ceiling. Now I know. I just wish the confetti had been for my team.
I got to go to the NAIA Division II women's basketball national championship game (wow, that's a mouthful). I went up on Monday for the semifinals and, since Concordia won and advanced to the final, I stayed for last night's championship game.
It was everything a title game should be - back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire, exciting. The only thing missing (in my opinion) was the win for the Bulldogs. Instead, Morningside made two free throws with less than two seconds to play for the 59-57 victory. At the buzzer, red, white and blue confetti rained down and covered the court in Sioux City. Concordia players sobbed in disappointment, while Morningside's players and fans shrieked in excitement.
I watched through my camera lens. That's what I do. Sometimes I feel a bit awkward because I do just watch, and I wonder what other people think as I point my camera in their direction and snap the shutter. Anyway...
This was actually the second championship game in four days for me. The other went better for my team. The Exeter-Milligan boys' basketball team won the Class D2 championship in a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire (sensing a theme here?) double overtime game on Saturday. However, there was no confetti. I suppose it would have taken too long to clean up before the next game started.
I've covered teams on both sides. It's definitely easier to cover a winning team, but that's not always the case. Sometimes I think it would be easier if a game is a blow-out because you'd have time to adjust to the fact that you're not going to win. The close games, like Tuesday was, can be truly heartbreaking.
But Concordia had a fantastic season, finishing with just three losses, all to Morningside. So congratulations to the Bulldogs. A national runner-up trophy is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure right now you don't even want to look at it, but when you've had a chance to consider what you accomplished, I think you'll be proud of yourselves. You should be.
