The DePaul Prep Rams (10-1, 1-0) played the Oswego East Wolves (6-4, 4-1) in the Coaches United Invitational at Whitney Young last evening. The game started about forty-five minutes late because the Curie v. Waukegan game before went into overtime.
These shootout games make me nervous because they are at such random times on random days. I fear they will catch the Rams distracted or tired or hurt or just not focused. I tell myself, “don’t worry about the win/loss record.” What does it really matter if one drops a game to some south suburban school? This is about winning the Chicago Catholic League and the 3A state championship.
The Rams were waiting.
So was I. The white balance on my R-3 had been off in recent days. So, since I had some time. I had my headphones with me so I fired up You Tube for a quick tutorial on doing a manual white balance on the R-3. I did the white balance and it worked nicely.
Then I waited some more.
I sat in my usual spot at Whitney Young. Except this was not a Whitney Young game. I was at the wrong end of the gym to catch the Rams on offense. Not a big deal; it just felt a little off.
At the start of the game, the Rams were a little off. Not so bad, just committing more turnovers than usual. They lead 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter wasn’t better. There was still a lot of turnover and the refs were not helping. Tied at 25 at the half. Nothing that was so bad. Just off.
I thought, Tom Kleinschmidt will work it out.
The Rams were better in the third. Rashaun Porter and Rykan Woo were scoring. The Rams’ defense kicked in at the start of the fourth quarter. Plus, Oswego East just lost some steam. They weren’t finding the good shots in the paint that they had been. An 11-2 run to open the 4th quarter (I wrote 9-2 in a tweet I posted but it was 11-2) gave the Rams the edge they usually put on teams at the start of the third quarter. The Rams kind of coasted to victory after that.
So the start of the season is in the books. Ten wins against one loss, and that to the No. 1 ranked team, and then by only two points. Wins against a couple ranked opponents and an out-of-state powerhouse.
But here is the really fun part—Pontiac. If you have gone, you should go. I love the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. My experience is a little different than that of the average fan. I sit courtside and get to go in the press room and relax in private while working on photos and stories. The fun part are the games. Always good teams and good games. The people in Pontiac are so nice and friendly, even talkative. It’s fun. I love it.
Now I get to see our DePaul Prep Rams in the granddaddy of the holiday tournaments. It’s an honor and a pleasure. But, they will face some serious competition. A win over host Pontiac would likely bring Joliet West, Curie, Simeon or Benet. Fine with me. The Rams will be ready. Let’s go.
