2024 STATE BASKETBALL Game 1: Ellsworth

 We just returned from the most magical week in Hutchinson, and we came home as STATE CHAMPIONS!!  When Calvin started his basketball journey wearing a school jersey in 7th grade, I titled my post, "The Day He's Been Waiting For." I think I could have titled this one, "The Day He's REALLY Been Waiting/Dreaming/Praying For." Because it was SUCH an awesome week and I want to remember as much as I can about it, I'm going to take my time on blogging and devote a post to each game.  It's my blog after all! (And I'd like to give a HUGE shout-out to Chloe Goodloe, Amy Roe, and Jodi Hylton for taking and sharing most of these great pictures!)

So Game 1 was Ellsworth.  We knew they had at least one stud in Senior Will Cravens, and they'd played Beloit very close during their match-ups this year, so we would have our work cut out for us.  The student section rocked a red, white & blue theme and I supplied bandanas for everyone. (Oliver looking good in the right with his red bandana on his head)

Maggie, Charli and Evie have arrived!

Got our tickets and found Calvin's jersey on the stands.

Violet was such a big girl. She really wanted to ride the Spirit Bus with the kids. It's a 3 hour drive, so I wasn't sure, but Jean Patton was going as the teacher chaperone, so we went with it.  She had so much fun! They even stopped at a convenience store where she was able to get a Dr. Pepper. (On a side note, our administration is so awesome, they took a Spirit Bus to all 3 games! Which really made our student section amazing.)

When I saw this row of elementary kids along the back row, I cried (for the first time of the day, anyway).  Why, you ask? Because all I could see was the pic below of these senior boys from their 3rd grade year, cheering on the big boys at State.  I am SO thankful they got to experience this as players!

Violet found Nora and the Baby Calvin Head found Hooker's kids.

Joy & Syd & Maddie & Brynn -- so many fans to cheer on Calvin and his Eagle team!

Getting warmed up. . .

. . . and announcing the starting line ups.

#5 Calvin Dwyer!

The student section and Fat Head Calvin are ready to cheer their Eagles on to victory!

We got off to an early lead, as much as 10 points in the second quarter.

Then we went completely cold, unfortunately.  We managed to take just a one-point lead into half.

The third quarter continued to be very stressful (we ended the day 2 of 15 from the 3-point line), but thankfully, Calvin and Kenyon kept their cool and found ways to score.

And all of the team continued the stifling defense they became known for throughout the season.

With 14 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, we still trailed by 1, but we weren't giving up!

This reverse lay-up, right here, was the turning point of the 2nd half.  Ellsworth led by 3 most of the 3rd quarter and into the 4th. With this bucket, we took a 3 point lead and never looked back.  It was so exciting!

This picture makes me laugh.  These 2 Ellsworth players have no idea how #5 managed to score on them, and found themselves in a tricky predicament, it seems. Also, I LOVE the players' faces in the background (Matt!). They are in disbelief.

This is a great sequence of Calvin getting a steal and a bucket -- another pivotal moment in the game.

The excitement on the bench's faces is priceless.

I just love how my boy gives 100% at all times. He is SO MUCH FUN to watch.

We got up by 3 with Calvin's awesome shot and our boys slowed it down.  This is so counter-intuitive for this run-and-gun team. I couldn't believe they actually did it! With over 3 minutes to go in the game, they took care of the ball and made Ellsworth foul them.

You can see the score in this one, up 3 with 2:23 to go, being patient determined to win this game!

Poor #2 for Ellsworth, Cravens, just couldn't backpack the whole team. He was a very solid player, but it wasn't enough on this day.

Calvin had such a knack for getting around the big guys and scoring.

Time to celebrate!! It wasn't pretty, but we did it!

Final score, 48-38!! Way to go, Eagles!!  They got lots of high-5s and congratulations on their way off the court.

John sent me this text, "CALVIN GOT ACADEMY SPORTS PLAYER OF THE GAME!" So of course, I had to go back and watch it. Pretty stinking cool.

We all got some good pics after the game. Joy & Scott would be leaving for Gulf Shores so we had to get pics with them and Syd, of course.

Scott broke out his 1994 Championship shirt for the occasion -- little did we know at the time that we'd be making more of these soon!!

The Sports in Kansas guy interviewed Calvin, Kenyon and Willie after the big win and they did a great job with the interview, which you can see here: https://www.facebook.com/sportsinkansas/videos/944253453728896.

We got checked into the Hampton Inn, our home for the next few nights (yay!!).

Mayor Lytle bought pizza for the team and all their families to celebrate that evening before we went back to watch the Goodland/Riverton game.  I remember him doing this back in 2015 when the team won, and it brought back great memories. Thanks, Bill!

After a very full day, these princesses slept well.  Actually ALL of us slept well, very happy and content after surviving the first round and getting two more games to play!!  

Calvin had said before they left, "We are NOT losing the first game. We WILL be staying!" These seniors had seen first round losses at State their freshman and junior years and were determined NOT to let that happen again.  So they gutted their way through a poor shooting game and seemingly WILLED the win. I couldn't have been prouder of our boys.  Here are the game stats and a good shout-out to Calvin and Kenyon on their performance.

On to round 2, facing the #1 seed Beloit!