It felt like a dream last Friday night at the the Lincoln Southwest vs. Lincoln East boys’ varsity basketball game. Not just for me, but for everyone involved. 

A dream student section for a LSW or East student fan. 

A dream opportunity for parents to watch their kids take part in an important contest. 

A dream crowd and situation players dream of as a kid practicing their fade away jump shots in the driveway. 

A dream intensity and level of play for coaches. And, a dream game to cover as a journalist (like me). 

However, for some, this dream turned into a nightmare.

For the Silver Hawk fans, parents, coaches and players, they themselves could not have imagined a more horrific ‘bad dream’. But, this was not a bad dream. This was real. 

LSW did have a 56-55 lead with 15.5 seconds left. 

Lincoln East’s Paul Dak did drive the ball into the lane and make an off balance lay up with 7 seconds left to put East up 57-56. 

Southwest did fail to respond on the other end. 

And, as the final buzzer sounded, the fanatic flanneled East High student section did storm the court to make the heartbreaking loss sting even more for LSW players and coaches.

Most media outlets will only cover victorious Spartans. However, as a competitive athlete myself, I have learned the most important, impactful, and memorable moments sport creates are not the instances when you are crowd surfing above the student section like Lincoln East experienced Friday night. 

It is the moments LSW players, coaches and parents experienced Friday night. The feeling of helplessness, despair, and sorrow that filled the hearts of Silver Hawks Friday night will be one of the most memorable moments that these players, coaches, and parents feel.

Not because of the doubt, helplessness, and heartbreak these instances create but because of the greatness these moments bred. 

There is no doubt this young LSW team has the ability to be great someday. 

The talent. It is there. 

The coaching. It is there. 

The support. It is there. 

Although, this has been said about young LSW boys varsity teams before. This young nucleus will just have to decide how they want to respond to this single moment. If they want to look back on this single loss someday at the top of a ladder waving a net and trophy at Hawk fans in PBA knowing this defeat is part of the reason that made them so glorious. Or if they want to look back at the court storming and one-point defeat during their college graduation wishing they would have not sulked, pouted, gave up or lifted their foot off the gas after one game.

Because it is the fact that one gets up 10 times when knocked down nine that makes that final time so memorable when you finally get it. That is what makes the defeat so beautiful to look back on. 

However, getting up those 10 times will not be easy. But if it was, everyone could do it, would do it, and accomplishments like hanging a banner in the gym would not be so treasured.

Do I think this group can do it? Do I think this group can respond? Do I think that loss stung so bad that this team will be doing what it takes to get to PBA? Cut down the nets in PBA? Hang that banner? Do I think they can learn and feel the beauty of defeat?

Well, if I am being honest, I do not know. I do not know how every athlete in that locker room felt, grieved and then (if at all) motivated by that loss to the Spartans on Friday night.

But I do know one thing. 

The Saturday morning after this heartbreaking loss, every single player, coach, and manager showed up for shoot around. Furthermore, young sophomore guard, Jared Bohrer, who leads the Silver Hawk team in scoring, was the last one out of the gym by several minutes Saturday after getting shot upon shot up, doing as much as he could to improve his game in that moment. 

And, as he exited the building to go get ready for another game later in that day he looked and said to me, “That s#*! sucked last night.” As I responded, “Good.”