The purpose of all competitive pursuits is straightforward – win. That said, there are rewards in being there... win or lose.
Just like the seasonal stories that are the same every year and get told pretty much the same way, there are stories about “moral” victories.
There are two sets of rules to live by: one for winners and one for everyone else.
The Wolverines senior boys basketball team may not have been expecting a win last Thursday when the powerhouse St. Michael’s University School crew showed up at EMCS, but they expected a closer game than what they got.
The Wolverines had two of the three “E”s a team needs to win with. The energy and enthusiasm were there... but the “E”xecution belonged to the guests.
The SMUS side was going full-throttle from the get-go. The shots were all going in. Their defense was stifling. They were up by a couple of dozen points before the hosts could catch their breath.
This one had “character-builder” written all over it, the thing is that the term is more than just a cliché. In spite of the one-sided result the locals’ heads never drooped on the way to a halftime deficit of 50 points. The chatter and effort remained, as did the players’ support for each other.
While not throwing in the towel, the Sooke players seemed to understand that there would be no long-term penalty imposed by the loss. It was after all, a valuable learning experience. They’ll play again and will go in with high hopes.
Kudos to the SMUS crew and the men who direct them. Making the top-five in the province is no small feat, they proved that at EMCS last Thursday.