One parent reportedly left the gym and could not watch the end of one of the game's because it was just too scary. Normally, you could point to one game. With this team, it's every game.
You have teams in professional sports and even at the CYO level, where their record is not an indication of how good they are. Some teams unfortunately play the three top teams in the division to start the year, and they go (0-3). Does that mean they stink, since they don't have a win? No.
Conversely, you have the 6th grade team, who is (4-1) and you have to wonder if they are really that good? That answer is not a definitive yes, because of the way they have won games.
For whatever rhyme or reason, this team has trouble closing out games. They play pretty well for the most part, but they can't put teams away. This team has the talent to win games by more than a point, obviously, but it has happened only once this season, a six point victory in their last game.
Part of this is inexperience. Two of the six players on the team are playing in their first year of basketball. And in a way, it might be good to play so many close games, because come playoff time, every game is close. And perhaps that can work to their advantage, as they will know how it feels to be in a close game. Some teams wilt under pressure.
I'm a firm believer that you create your own luck. If you do the little things, work hard, and strive to be better, you get the lucky bounce. And maybe this team is a perfect example of this.
But the bottom line is that this team needs the drive, the motivation and the focus to finish out games. They need to play a complete four quarters. At (4-1), they pretty much have the playoffs clinched. They score when they need to, and defend when they need to. They also get lucky when they need to.
But the goal now, should to be good instead of lucky.
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