Players, coaches, fans have emotional week in Troy

By Ken Rogers

Published: February 23, 2008

They don’t give out tickets to Birmingham and the high school basketball state tournament. You have to earn the trip.
That’s what is so difficult, and uplifting, about the week of the South Regional tournament in Troy.
It’s a proving ground to the four boys and girls teams in each classification. Are you good enough? Are you worthy?
Only sometimes the scoreboard is cruel. Let me tell you: Ashford’s boys were good enough. Ashford’s boys were worthy of a Final Four appearance next week.
The Jackets’ deep freeze in the second half of Saturday’s game — 4-for-17 in the half, 0-for-7 in the final 5:30 — was a fluke. They’ll be back.
Less mind-boggling was Geneva’s convincing girls victory Saturday morning. The Panthers are headed to Birmingham for the third time in the past four years.
Rich Bixby noted after his game that his father coached the Geneva boys for years — and some of Rich’s players are daughters of guys who played for his dad.
Kind of a neat story, I think.
So is the angst this week takes on a person’s psyche — coaches, players, parents, fans. It’s not easy to face elimination in any team sport. Every team comes to Troy knowing it is two wins away from the state tournament — and one loss away from going home. Most seniors who lost this week have played their last game of organized basketball.
The lasting image I’ve got for the week came in a game that didn’t involve a Wiregrass team. J.F. Shields and McIntosh were in the final seconds of a tense 1A final. There were 13 seconds left on the clock and both teams were in their huddle for the final time.
Fans on both sides were screaming and the pressure was sky high. A J.F. Shields cheerleader stood on a bench with her back to the court — holding her head in her hands. She couldn’t watch. She didn’t turn around after play resumed. The moment was too much.
That’s what we love about high school basketball. The highs are soaring and the lows are devastating.