Park beats McDonogh---Again

By Roger Seidenman

It was truly a great game between two evenly matched teams to decide the Fresh-Soph B-Conference Basketball Championship. As you can tell from the title, yes, the Bruins prevailed. This was a special game for many reasons. For me, Fresh-Soph is a team I had coached for eight seasons, and I have a soft spot in my heart for their challenging schedule. Their conference also includes Gilman, St. Paul’s, Boys’ Latin, and Archbishop Curley, just to name a few. The assistant coach is my Park classmate and good friend, Michael Stiller.

The game was the culmination of an extraordinary season for these boys. Both teams had identical records and each suffered one defeat at the hands of the other. A coin was flipped to determine the number one seed, and Park won the toss. Clearly, this was our year.

Park and McDonogh advanced through their respective semi-final games to the championship. Most Fresh-Soph games draw a crowd of the players’ parents, but on Thursday, February 19, 2009, there were many more folks than usual in the stands at the Brooks Lakin Court. There were a good number of players’ grandparents in attendance, and Bart Cook, our extended-day director extraordinaire, led in a troop of our youngest students. By the third quarter, the seats were almost completely filled, and whether people were there to watch the next contest or were just drawn in by the noise, they were compelled to stay-- the game was that good. The two teams battled back and forth relentlessly. Every time Park opened a small lead, McDonogh, just as quickly, rallied to close it. McDonogh closed regulation with a furious rush hitting a three pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, McDonogh enjoyed their first lead in quite some time, and after unbelievably clutch free- throw shooting from both teams, the game went into double overtime. It was then that Park’s withering attack proved too much, and the Bruins won the championship by a final score of 69-64.

Fresh-Soph titles don’t get much ink, and that’s ok. Part of what made this game so great was its obscurity. These two evenly matched teams left everything they had on the court. From a Bruin’s perspective, when McDonogh sent the game into overtime it was such a disappointment that the Park squad could have faded. Obviously, the team did not. It was a glorious afternoon-- the Park boys rose to the occasion and defeated an exemplary opponent, and the place was filled with Bruins’ fans of all ages. Go Bruins!