DAY 5

[New Year's Eve- follow-up]- A 9 am trip to the airport got us there in plenty of time for our noon flight, particularly since it was delayed by a late take off on the previous leg. We

The delay in Charleston didn't deter the Pirates from finding food and amusement before heading home.

left about 40 minutes late, a little worried that we would miss our connecting flight from Atlanta to Newark. Once again we traveled in the company of our friends from CBA. The Delta people kindly held the plane for 40 minutes in Atlanta so we could make our connection (after all, there were 40 of us heading back to Newark) and Mr. Walsh met us at the airport to take us back to SHP, where we arrived about 6 pm)

December 31- hotel room, 1 am

After our buzzer-beating win, we were allowed to sleep in on our fifth and final day in Charleston. We didn't leave for practice until 11:30, practicing from 12 to 1. At practice we focused on defensive fundamentals like closing out and moving with the ball in preparation for CBA's offense. After practice, Coach Farrell reminded us that our work was not done, and we could either be satisfied with what we have done or finish the job.
     We ate lunch again at the hospital cafeteria directly after practice. While there we watched Seton Hall Prep alumnus Andre Callender, running back for Boston College, take on Navy.
     After lunch we headed back to the hotel to get rested. Again there was some intense NHL 2K6 action, during which I took away Sean McNichol's undefeated status. After some rest, we left for dinner at 5:30.
     We went to Jason's Deli for dinner, which had outstanding food. Awkwardly enough, we shared the place with CBA, who we were playing in less than four hours. After dinner we went back to the hotel until we left at 8:15 for our 9:30 game. We arrived at The Citadel around 8:30, surprised to see that Dunwoody was trailing Rufus King at halftime. Once again, James Foster showed up to support us with a hoarse voice from the South Carolina bowl game in which they defeated Houston.
     In the pre-game talk, Coach Farrell reminded us that CBA is out for revenge [after last year's loss to us in the State Final] , and if we didn't accept this new challenge, we would lose. He said that he knew how much yesterday's game took out of us, while CBA's semifinal was less emotional. Our game also took a lot out of Dunwoody because they were trailing Rufus King at half, a team that looked to have much less athleticism.
    

The Pirate seniors accepted the Championship plaque for the Piggly Wiggly Roundball Classic- Jason, Jordan, Austin, Gary, Ralph and DJ.

We finally started a game off strong, getting out to a 10-3 lead early. But as we knew would happen, CBA hung in there. Their tough-to-guard offense kept them in the game, but our good effort on the boards kept us in the lead. At halftime we were leading 26-19. In the locker room, Coach Farrell told us it was a good half, but that CBA would  also come out intense and we needed to withstand that.
     CBA did come out strong, cutting the deficit to three at 39-36 with about six go in the second half. Again, our strength on the boards from Jason Banzhaf, Ralph Jones, and Alan Buzbee kept us in control of the game. A key three from the left wing by Jason put us up 44-37 and forced CBA to call a time out. They made a run at a come back, but good free throw shooting helped us maintain the lead. The final score was 51-43, as we won our first National Christmas Tournament under Coach Farrell. Jason Banzhaf received a well-deserved MVP award for the tournament after putting up 15 points and 17 rebounds in the Championship Game. Ashton Gibbs took All-Tournament Team honors.
[game photos]

     After the game, we grabbed a midnight meal at IHOP, where the cooks and help were almost on their way out the door to go home as we pulled into the parking lot. A little arm-twisting by Coach Farrell got the to stay open for us. Then we went back to the hotel to sleep for tomorrow's noon flight back home.
     Coach Farrell said that he comes down here to find out what kind of team we are. We did just that coming down here, winning all three games, and showing that we can come back the day after a buzzer-beating win and still come to play. That's why we are the 2006 Piggly Wiggly Roundball Classic Champs.
Best New Year's wishes to our hosts at the Roundball Tournament, Lora and David Kratzok, of Mt. Pleasant SC, by way of Pearl River, Hackensack and Philly. Their post-final game brownies hit the spot, and their hospitality was greatly appreciated.

 

DAY 4

December 29- hotel room, 11:00pm

The fourth day of the trip began with a 9 am practice for the game against Dunwoody. The majority of practice was spent running over our man offences, especially "spread" (our delay game offense). After practice, we went back to the hotel to rest up until 11:15. At that time, we headed back to the hospital again for lunch.
     After lunch we went back to the hotel for more rest. Most of that time was spent playing video games and watching movies. [NOTE: I finally beat Buzz in NHL 2K6].
     We left for the game at 5:45, arriving at McAllister Field House around 6:20. In our pre-game talk, Coach Farrell told us that we needed to stop their fastbreak game, ce competitive, and break their press to be successful.
     We started the game off slow again, falling behind 6-0. Ashton hit a jumper to break the ice and make the score 6-2. From there we slowly crawled into the lead with a three by Ashton with 4 minutes to go in the half. We began to take control after that, going on a 16-8 run to end the half leading 34-23.
     At halftime, Coach Farrell told us that we played a great half, but that there was still one half to go. He also said that they will come at us, and we must keep up the great intensity.
     As Coach predicted, Dunwoody came out intense, cutting the lead to ten with 12 minutes to go. We then started running our flex offense (Head), and getting good looks from it. Ashton drained another three to get the lead back to 13 with ten and a half to go. Dunwoody made a run with 6 minutes to go, cutting the deficit to six with three straight baskets. Coach Farrell called a timeout to calm us down. Our lead was seven with two and a half to go when our home run press break (also called "head") went wrong and they came down and hit and three to make the score 54-50. After a Jordan Costner free throw making it 55-53, Zac Swansey, a 6-1 point guard headed to Georgia, nailed a tough floater, tying the game. Following one foul shot each by Ashton and me, a Dunwoody big man tipped in a missed lay-up to tie the game once again with 43 seconds remaining. We decided to hold for one shot. Ashton started making his move with ten seconds remaining when another defender came and knocked the ball free. Zac Swansey recovered it with seven seconds left and a wide open lane to the basket. I saw the opening and tried to force a jump ball. To my surprise, I took the ball from his hands with four seconds to go. I was about to shoot a 25 footer when I saw Buzz's man step up, leaving him wide open. I passed to Buzz with two seconds left and he laid it in for the win (photo left). Our bench cleared and piled on top of Buzz at the free throw line.
     It was a remarkable game to say the least. After the game, Coach Farrell reminded us that our job was not done, and that we had another game left. We watched the other semifinal, in which Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) won. After that, we went back to the hotel, where most people ordered dinner. Buzz wasn't the happiest guy when Gary ordered his boneless chicken wings Nuclear instead of the requested Hot.
     We meet CBA them tomorrow night at 9:30 in the Championship Game. We have beaten CBA in the last two Non-Public A State Finals. There is no doubt that they are out to get us, and we have to come to play to finish our job.

[game photos]

DAY 3

December 28- hotel room, in the midst of PlayStation tourney- 6 pm

Our third day started bright and early with an 8:30 am practice at McAllister Field House. Our main focus was to prepare for the full court press we will face tomorrow against Dunwoody. With the Georgia team so athletic and enamored of a pressing defense, Coach Farrell stressed the importance of a ball-fake before every pass. [Quotes from practice: The guys we're playing tomorrow have arms. I saw them last night. And when they play the put them in the way…You can't be dribbling through two guys. They'll just take it away from you. Pass the ball!] We finished practice with our usual foul shots. Four guys missed and we were forced to run suicides on the lengthy college court. We were tempted to measure the basket to make sure it was ten feet because almost every miss was short. Then it was back to the hotel and showers.
     Then, at 11:15, the draft for the bowling tournament draft was held [photo left]. The captains were Jason, Gary, and Buzz. Jason's team included Mr. Walsh, Jordan Costner, Ralph Jones, DJ Salmon, and Ashton Gibbs. Gary picked Coach Farrell, Austin Smith, Chris Hines, Mr. Morris, and Ramaan Patton. Buzz had on his team Mr. Williams, Brendan Kirby, Sean McNichol, Mike Cunningham, and me.
     We then headed over to the bowling alley. Jason's team seemed to be dominant in the first game with Jason (169), Mr. Walsh (146), Ralph (100), and Ashton (167) all bowling over 100. Ashton was motivated by being the last overall pick in the draft, at one point in the first game knocking down 4 consecutive strikes. Jason's team ended up with 743 total, taking first place easily. In second place was Gary's team with 677, and in last was Buzz's team with a woeful 607. Our team got off to a bad start as Buzz started us with a perfect gutter ball. The next two games were similar, with the teams taking the same places. In the second game, Jason's team had 787, Gary's 715, and our team 690. In the final game, Jason's team got 751, Gary's 701, and our team got 631. Jason and Gary tied for the highest score with 187, and I took dead last with a game of 59. Ashton's magic wore off quickly, as he bowled for a 61 in the last game. We ate some lunch at the bowling alley, and then we back to the hotel.
     Our team had until 3:30 to do whatever, and then we left for the McAllister Field House for a complementary dinner provided by Outback Steakhouse. There was chicken, steak, rice, bread, and salad, and for dessert there was cheesecake [NOTE: awesome cheesecake]. The food was terrific, and Buzz's trip was fulfilled when he got to meet The Citadel's mascot, the bulldog named General.
     After dinner, we came back here for an NHL 2K6 tournament that is still going on. In the first game, Buzz lost a heartbreaker to DJ in a shootout [see photos].
     Tomorrow at 7 pm we face our toughest opponent yet, Dunwoody. They have solid guard play and a tough full court press. Our success will depend upon how well we break the press and execute offensively. As Coach Farrell said, this game will determine if we are contenders or pretenders.
[photos]

prelim material