Journal TykeClone's Journal: Heck of a game! 2
I took the kids down to Des Moines today to watch the girls high school basketball team play in the 1A (small school) state tournament. This is the first time in about 17 years that our community has sent a team to state, and the first time since all classes of girls' basketball went "5-man" instead of "6-man" and the first time since we started whole grade sharing with a different neighboring school district.
They played a heck of a game and eventually beat Highland (a small school near Iowa City) by 8 in overtime. They were well ahead going into the fourth quarter and should not have allowed the opponent to get back into the game, but they managed to win in overtime. They will be playing a conference opponent in the semi-final round of the tournament - the only team that beat them in the regular season and a team that they wanted a rematch with.
On the way down, we took I35 from Highway 20 to Des Moines. This was part of a stretch of interstate that was closed on Thursday during that big blizzard that swept through the state. We counted 25 vehicles still in the ditch, some upside down, but most just in the ditch.
The game was played in the new Iowa Events Center. The arena is nice and parking was easy. Playing in a big venue like that is very rare for 1A teams. Most of the small school gyms are glorified Morton buildings where the backstops are a stage on one end and a wall on the other. Real arenas have vast amounts of open space behind the baskets - that must take a bit of getting used to for small school teams!
From looking at the audience, it seemed that a great proportion of our three communities were at the game - and many expatriates who live in central Iowa.
On the way home, we took a somewhat different route and drove through Ames and Clarion. There is a huge windfarm off of Highway 69 that is always pretty to look at while driving by. Evidence of the ice storm from two weeks ago were still visible. I saw about a mile of wooden electric transmission poles snapped like toothpicks and still down. I read that everyone in Iowa has had their power restored - so this must have been rerouted - but I've not seen power poles snapped like that even after a tornado!
I'd like to wish the girls well for their next game at state and hope that they have a shot at the title!
They played a heck of a game and eventually beat Highland (a small school near Iowa City) by 8 in overtime. They were well ahead going into the fourth quarter and should not have allowed the opponent to get back into the game, but they managed to win in overtime. They will be playing a conference opponent in the semi-final round of the tournament - the only team that beat them in the regular season and a team that they wanted a rematch with.
On the way down, we took I35 from Highway 20 to Des Moines. This was part of a stretch of interstate that was closed on Thursday during that big blizzard that swept through the state. We counted 25 vehicles still in the ditch, some upside down, but most just in the ditch.
The game was played in the new Iowa Events Center. The arena is nice and parking was easy. Playing in a big venue like that is very rare for 1A teams. Most of the small school gyms are glorified Morton buildings where the backstops are a stage on one end and a wall on the other. Real arenas have vast amounts of open space behind the baskets - that must take a bit of getting used to for small school teams!
From looking at the audience, it seemed that a great proportion of our three communities were at the game - and many expatriates who live in central Iowa.
On the way home, we took a somewhat different route and drove through Ames and Clarion. There is a huge windfarm off of Highway 69 that is always pretty to look at while driving by. Evidence of the ice storm from two weeks ago were still visible. I saw about a mile of wooden electric transmission poles snapped like toothpicks and still down. I read that everyone in Iowa has had their power restored - so this must have been rerouted - but I've not seen power poles snapped like that even after a tornado!
I'd like to wish the girls well for their next game at state and hope that they have a shot at the title!
That never occured to me before (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Hitting the wall would be out o