5th grade loses heartbreaker in championship

In one of the most exciting championship games in recent St. Mary's history, the 5th grade boys were defeated in heartbreaking fashion 26-25 Saturday afternoon at Mission Dolores.

Jason L. scored on a putback with less than 40 seconds left to go in the 4th quarter, giving the 5th grade boys basketball team a 25-24 lead in the championship Saturday afternoon.

But right off the next inbounds, Jonathan was whistled for a ticky-tack foul to say it nicely, sending the other team's best player, #24, to the free throw line for a one-in-one.

He hit both free throws and put the 5th graders down a point.

Off of the inbounds, Michael took the ball coast to coast and was fouled on his drive to the basket, giving him a chance for a one-in-one.

But on his first free throw attempt, he crossed the line for the third free-throw violation of the game giving the ball back to the other team.

The other team's best player, #24 took it down-court and lost the ball out of bounds and with 25.9 seconds left, the 5th grade had a chance to possibly win the game.

The first pass went to Michael who then shoveled it off to Jonathan. Jonathan had the ball at the three point line when he dished the ball down low to Justin, who hesitated before shooting. Because of the delay, the other team was able to get in good position for a block.

Justin was a good head shorter than his defender so his attempt at a shot was batted down right away. The other team then dribbled out the clock for the final 15 seconds and the game ended.

If the 5th grade was counting on lucky bounces or calls, very few of them went the St. Mary's way.

In the first half, someone in the stands coughed during a free throw attempt, and because that is unsportsmanlike, the officials at the table awarded an extra free throw to the other team. They made both.

The biggest break that went against the 5th graders was the foul call on Jonathan. Right after the 5th grade went ahead, Jonathan was caught in an awkward position and did make slight contact with #24. But the contact was so minimal that #24 was able to easily break away and dribble down court.

Had the whistle not blown, it's unlikely anyone in the gym would've even considered or cared that was a foul.

But by no means were those bad breaks the reason why the 5th grade lost.

From the free-throw line, Jonathan was not his usual self, going 2-for-6. He did have a team high 14 points, but he was unable to hit the open jump shots we were all accustomed to seeing.

Michael had a rough day from the line, committing a violation on all three of his free-throw tries. All three were on the front end of a one-in-one.

The slow start was also not good for the 5th grade. Jonathan got the ball right off the tip and put St. Mary's ahead just seconds into the game, but that was the only bucket they'd score in the first quarter.

#24 who the 5th graders knew they had to shut down, was minimized as the game went on, but still had a game high 16 points, none bigger than his two free throws at the end. He was 6-for-8 from the line.

So the 5th grade season comes to a close, one of the most exciting seasons to date.

From here the 5th graders will be moving up a division and maybe two. These are the games that they will be playing on a more consistent basis for years to come.

What worked against them was that they were so efficient during the regular season, they barely played any close games. And when the games are so tight, and the margin of error so thin, one thing can be the difference between first and second.

Unfortunately, the 5th graders had to learn this lesson the hard way.

Nonetheless, it was a remarkable season by their coaches Leslie and Dennison, and all of their players. It was pretty much everything you could want out of a season besides a championship.

Patience is virtue, as the best things in life are worth the wait.