The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

By Editor | March 2, 2024

By Sara Smith

The beauty, and the value, of high school sports is that they mirror life. There are peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows, problems to overcome and solutions to be found in this roller coaster ride that is day-to-day life. Learning to work as a team and learning how to take feedback are valuable lessons. The Class 2 District 6 Tournament was filled with highs and lows for the Schuyler Rams.

Quarterfinals

The tournament opened for the #2 Schuyler Rams (20-6) on Tuesday, February 20th at the Schuyler R-1 High School Gym. Their opponent was the #7 Knox County Eagles (3-20). The Rams had defeated the Eagles two times already this season and were poised to do it again for the third time.

The first meeting was in the opening round of play for the North Shelby Tournament on January 17th, it was a sloppy game, especially in the first half, due to an extended off-period because of the weather. The Rams got it together and pulled out a 27-point victory, 62-35. Not long after, on January 26th, the teams met again at Edina during regular season conference play. Again, the boys came out on top, 62-41.

In the district quarter final game the Rams charged out of the gate strong in the first quarter, with Elliott Sevits going on an absolute tear, scoring 10 of the Rams 18 points in that quarter. The Eagles put up seven points in the first quarter, but seemed to find more firm footing in the second quarter as they outscored the Rams by four points, 9-13. The Rams still held a seven-point lead going into halftime, 27-20.

The second half was a bit sluggish to start, it took the Rams 2:15 to score in the third quarter, but again they found their rhythm and put up 10 more points than the Eagles, 14-4. It was clear that the defense, and the full-court press, was doing its job to hold the Eagle to four points. At the end of the third quarter the score was 41-24. In the fourth quarter the Eagles applied a press themselves to try and turn the tide, it turned into multiple scoring opportunities for the Rams as they outpaced the Eagles by 10 points again, 25-15. The final score showed a 27-point advantage for the Rams, 66-39. They would advance to the semi-final round.

Brody Weaver led the team in scoring with 18, as he took full advantage of his opportunities during fast breaks and the press. Weaver also had two rebounds, two assists, six deflections, three steals, and one block. Elliott Sevits had 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, four deflections, three steals, and one block. Kale Windy was right behind him with 13 points, three rebounds, four deflections, one steal, and one block. He also led the team in assists with six. Connor Smith, Mason Windy, and Gage Brownell all added seven points to the scoreboard. Smith also had eight rebounds, three assists, two deflections, two steals, and two blocks. Mason Windy had three rebounds, four assists, two deflections, and led the team in steals with five. Brownell led in the rebound column with 13, he also had two assists, three deflections, two steals, and one block.

Semi-finals

On to the semi-final round where the Rams (21-6) would face their all-to-familiar foe, the #3 Putnam Co. Midgets (19-7). These teams, in neighboring counties, have a long history. Just this season, they had already played each other three times. The first contest was early in the season, the Tri- Rivers Classic championship game on December 2, 2023. The Midgets won that game in overtime, 49-54, to repeat as tournament champs for the third time. They met again during regular season play on January 4th, the Midgets edged out the Rams again, 55-57. The third contest was in the La Plata Invitational semi-final round on January 31st, this time the Rams took the “dub,” 54-46, and advanced to the finals of that tournament. The Rams were looking to repeat that performance.

On Wednesday, February 22 this semi-final game was the second of the night, and the crowd was electric, with a good turnout for both teams. It was a championship atmosphere in the gym that night, it was clear that this game mattered to both teams. The game started fast, but even. Both teams scored 18 points in the first quarter. It looked to be another down-to-the-last-possession kind of game. The Rams edged past the Midgets in the second quarter, 12-9. The score at halftime was 30-27 in favor of the Rams. However, a three-point lead at halftime is certainly not a secure lead.

Sure enough, within moments of the third quarter the Midgets had tied it up, but the Rams put their foot on the pedal and edged out even further in the third quarter, this time outscoring the Midgets by four in the third, 25-19. At the beginning of the fourth quarter the Rams held a nine-point lead, 55-46. The fourth quarter was a track meet with a slew of free throws thrown in for good measure. The Rams shot 10 free throws in the fourth quarter and made all of them. As-a-matter-of fact, the Rams were an incredible 100% from the free throw line all night, making all 19 of their 19 attempts. The Rams were able to take advantage of the Midget turnovers, scoring 23 points off turnovers during the game. Also, as a team, the Rams shot an off-the-charts 59% from the field. All of these things added up to a 10-point victory for the Rams, 76-66.

This win can can be chalked up to excellent teamwork with several players making significant contributions, not the least of which is Kale Windy who had 23 points, 10 of which came from clutch free throws in the fourth quarter, he also had five rebounds, another team-leading five assists, three deflections, and two steals. Brody Weaver scored 17 points, he also had key free throws in the fourth quarter which accounted for five of his points. Weaver also had four rebounds, two assists, three deflections, and one steal. Connor Smith was a terror from the three-point line in the first half, scoring 12 points, he also had four rebounds, one assist, two deflections, one steal, and one block. He also took a charge from Putnam Co. #20, Trace Riediger, that put him in foul trouble and changed his play in the paint, the value of which is hard to quantify. Gage Brownell had eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two deflections, two steals, and three blocks. Mason Windy put up seven points, he also had one rebound, three assists, one deflection, and two steals. Elliott Sevits scored six points, plus he had one rebounds, one assist, two deflections, and two steals. Cohan Meade got in on the action with three points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal.

Looking back, this was the championship for the Rams. This was such an emotional and hard-fought win, they just didn’t have anything left to give…they left it all on the court on this night.

Finals

With the win over Putnam, the Rams (22-6) advanced to the finals were they faced the #1 Canton Tigers (20-7). With the #1 seed the Tigers had a first round bye, then they defeated the #4 Scotland Co. Tigers (11-14) in the semi-final round, 80-55.

Schuyler versus Canton in the district championship is an all-to-familiar scenario. This was how it played out in the 22-23 season as well, Canton came away with that win, defeating the Rams 65-50. This season was different though, because the Rams had defeated the Canton Tigers on the Tiger’s turf back in December, 60-54. The Rams knew that they had the skills and ability to win, they had done it before.

The district final was held at the Schuyler R-1 High School gym on Saturday, February 24th. In the first quarter the Rams got off to a slow start, at one point they were down by 10 points, 2-12. They rallied and ended up on top at the end of the quarter, 18-14. This seemed to be a good sign, and the players and the crowd were fired up. In the second quarter the Rams began to slide as the Tigers hit their stride and outscored the Rams by twelve points, 7-19. The score at halftime showed an 8-point advantage for the Tigers. The crowd was not discouraged, the Rams have traditionally done well in the second half of games this season. Plus, they had not played particularly well for much of the first half, so it certainly seemed possible that they still had a chance since they were only down by eight.

The third quarter was a more even match up, but the Rams were unable to gain any ground on the scoreboard. At the end of the third the Tigers still held the edge, this time by 9-points, 34-43. The fourth quarter was more of the same, as the Tigers continued their onslaught, and the Rams were unable to hold them off. The game ended with a score of 46-65, and the Canton Tigers were back-to-back district champions. And just like that the Rams’ season would come to an end with a record of 22-7.

There is no one thing that can be pointed at to account for the loss, but you may have heard the saying “trouble with the curve”, well the Rams had trouble with the layup during this game. A layup is usually a high-percentage shot, but not for the Rams on this night. All of the things that had worked for the Rams to get them to this point: fast breaks, press, layups, free throws, blocks, excellent defense-none of it worked this game, the shots didn’t fall. After the peak of the victory versus Putnam, this was the valley that followed.

Gage Brownell led the team in scoring with 16 points, not only was he a presence in the paint, he showed his range, scoring two 3-pointers from the perimeter as well. Kale Windy’s courageous last effort as a Schuyler Ram basketball player resulted in 13 points on the scoreboard, but so much more in bravery and leadership. Kale Windy is the gold standard when it comes to competitive effort and sportsmanship, he will be missed.

Head Coach Chris Prewitt summed up the season this way, “I’m proud of the season our guys had. To accomplish what we did, with the schedule we had, shows the determination these guys had to be great. I would like to thank the seniors for everything they have given Schuyler during their time here. Their efforts won’t be forgotten. Our goal is to get better throughout the off season and put another competitive production on the floor next winter.”

Coach Prewitt is right, he is building something here, and given that he is only losing two senior starters, Kale Windy and Connor Smith, the future looks bright for the Rams in the seasons to come. Look at the number of sophomores that contributed at a high level this season, look at the talent on the JV roster, look at the success of the 8th grade team this season. It seemed like this was the Rams’ time to win the district title, but instead, it looks like their time is yet to come.