Terriers take the floor for the last time
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 6:02 pm
Editor's note: Next year, Rising City High School's athletes will join the team of the district the school will merge with in 2011-12. This is a story about the last Terrior team to take the basketball floor for a game.By Kreig Ritter
Banner-Press Sports Editor
The sun is setting on the Rising City boys' basketball team.Literally.
The team is waiting inside its bus in the parking lot at Clarkson High School.
It turns out the team has arrived a little too early in preparation for its subdistrict contest, as the roads weren't as bad as anticipated.
In a winter full of snowstorms and ground blizzards, it's understandable.
While the last light of the day disappears, the Terriers make their way into the gym.
It's been a struggle in recent years for the program, which is set to end when the season does.
The eight players who'll wear the blue-and-white of RCHS are clearly very loose.
Basketballs are tossed and caught, some with mock acrobatic moves. There is an impromptu dance by one as "What I Like About You" plays over the P.A. system. Another busts out the air guitar when "Kerosene" follows suit.
There's no pressure on a winless team. When you've lost games by scores like 78-11, 70-6 and 55-8, you're clearly not carrying the burdens of a "State title or bust."
Players don't seem to be affected by the defeats. There aren't a lot of unhappy or angry faces.
For one thing, they're getting to play. Last year's team had to forfeit a game in the same round, because it only had four healthy players.
One of those players, John Potter, arrives. The lone senior and leader in pretty much every category on that team, Potter greets his former teammates, offering handshakes and quick hugs.
There's not much for the coaches to do but wait, read the paper and maybe check out the caliber of food available in the hospitality room.
It eventually becomes time to get into pre-game warmup mode, which includes looks and actions of greater focus on the task ahead.
Head coach John Schoenrock addresses the team. He starts with a simple question.
"Do you want this to be your last game?"
To a man, the Terriers respond with "No."
Schoenrock goes over the particulars, what the team will do defensively, the importance of rebounding.
But he knows that for the team to pull the upset, it will have to score.
He outlines the importance of proper floor spacing to spread out the defense. He emphasizes that each player has to be in the right spot, telling one, "Don't freelance. We need to know where you're at out there."
The team clearly shows no fear once the game starts. It's within 13-9 in the first quarter.
Then the turnovers pile up in rapid fashion, with the points piling up just as fast.
It's soon 37-11 Panthers.
By halftime, it's 52-18 and as the players and coaches make their way to the locker room, they know that there will be no Cinderella story. Prague will play Dodge the next night. All that's left of Rising City's program is 16 minutes of basketball.
The Terriers are determined to make the most of those minutes, not backing down, even when the game and season are clearly over.
They outscore the Panthers 15-6 over the last four minutes of the third quarter. Considering they averaged just over 20 points per game, it's an impressive display of determination.
But no amount of drives to the basket or layups off steals can stop time. The clock eventually runs out as Terrier fans chant. "We. Are. Proud. Of You. Say 'We are proud of you.'"
The scoreboard reads: "Home: 90, Visitor: 45"
There were no regrets on the part of the players, none of whom quit during a trying season.
Trent Sutton, a junior who'll graduate early this year to go into the Army, says, "I thought our effort was great. We put our heart into it. We've got a great group of guys. We worked our butt off and played a great game."
It wasn't always easy, trying to keep it together.
"There were moments where they were not quite together, but in the end, they got together and decided that couldn't happen. There was no fracturing. They ended as a single unit," Schoenrock says.
It's not easy trying to prepare throughout a season, knowing it's your last, knowing that there is no future of the program to consider.
Schoenrock tried to stay focused on the task at hand, trying to get the kids prepared for each coming opponent.
"It's been an odd experience. We've really tried to make the best of it. To be sure. I don't know how I feel now that it's over. I'm sure it'll hit me later when I've had time to think about it," he says.
Sutton is happy with how the Terriers held up through tying circumstances.
"We had a lot of spirit and worked together. We love each other like brothers. It stinks it has to end like this," he says
There is little left to do but pose for pictures with family.
The team gets together for one last team photo. Before they do, as they stand huddled together, arms in the air, Sutton yells, "Alright guys, this is the last time we get to say this....
'Go Terriers!"
