Ben's Basketball Game

Riding the pine

Ben's been playing basketball this year with the local recreational basketball league.  It has been the highlight of his fall and winter.  His team is currently 3-3.  Last weeks game was the most fun game to watch so far.  In the first half, they were up by 9 points.  His team was totally dominating the other team defensively and really winning the battle of the boards.  They were running their offense well and every time they sent the ball into the paint, they scored.

Then the second half . . . The other team came back and with just a few minutes to go, they were up by 1.  Our ringer, George, came down and scored to put us by one with less than a minute to go.  We stopped them on defense and all George had to do was dribble out the clock.

It was very intense.  Ben played a really well.  He scored and even got to the line to shoot two.

On a parenting note, I didn't have my best game.  I am a pretty vocal spectator. (Surprise, surprise!)  I know all of the boys names and cheer them all on.  I'm always positive.  I never talk to the refs.  They are high school kids who are just learning.  They get about 70% of the calls, sometimes intentionally.  If they called every double dribble and traveling, the game would go nowhere.  Well, at one point, Ben was taking the ball out and he passed it and the ball hit the back of the backboard (out of bounds).  The refs didn't call it and play continued.  At the next dead ball though they said it was out ball.  The opposing coach yelled, "It should be white ball, that was out of bounds when it hit the back of the backboard."  So I yelled fromt he other side of the court, "Let 'em call the game."  The coach looked right at me and said, "We've got to remind them sometimes."  Thankfully, that was the end of it.  I didn't say anything else.

We asked Ben and Caleb later if they were embarrassed by me at game.  They said no.  I hoping to keep my mouth shut a little more at this weeks game.