An unfortunate end to the 8th grade's basketball careers

Another game slipped through their finger tips, or in a more fitting way of putting it, broke through their press.

With less than 20 seconds left in the game, Brandon Khuu sat on the bench, with his head tilted back, and head spinning like there was no tomorrow.

In 8th grade basketball terms, there was no tomorrow as the class of 2013 lost their final basketball game in a St. Mary's uniform by a final score of 33-26 to complete a disappointing farewell season.

While it would be easy to focus on the negatives that surrounded the team all year long, Brandon physically being at the final game was symbolic of what the team could've and should've been.

Over the winter break, Brandon suffered an ankle injury and was all but ruled out for the rest of the basketball season.

Yet he showed up to the next game on crutches, and physically stood on the court to start the only game the 8th grade won. Then, not even at full strength, he took one for the team and played in the final two games, leaving it all out on the court.

Not wanting to disappoint his teammates or the school, he emptied his tank and left a lasting impression on his basketball career.

If only the team had more of that motivation and desire to play and get better, the 8th grade would not be sitting where it is right now.

Their final basketball game was a microcosm of how their entire season was, losing to a team they should've beaten.

But after repeating the same hackneyed phrase over and over, should they have beaten this team Saturday?

Did a team who was constantly beaten on the press from start to finish deserve to win this game?

Does a team that featured mistakes that have been talked about since 5th grade deserve a better fate?

Injuries and their lack of depth did not do this team any favors. In their division, the level of play is non-stop every second of the game. With only five players for pretty much the entire season, they wore down as the game progressed.

Even the best conditioned professional athletes have trouble going the entire way without a break, so you can imagine how it is when you're 13 or 14.

Without Aaron, James and Christian, who were all on the team last year, only five of the original core remained.

Moises, who was added to the team this season, provided some much needed athleticism, but having only a year of experience on a team that didn't win a game, proved a little too much for even Moises to overcome.

As for the game, Justin did not have his best day from the field, as one of the best shooters the school has to offer, wasn't able to connect from the perimeter.

Brandon Tom, who has made it a habit of hitting threes this season shot blanks from beyond the arc.

So with two of their top scorers struggling, the defense needed to step up and unfortunately they didn't.

The other team broke the press at will and scored almost all of their points around the basket.

Applying the full court press is almost a necessity for this team because if they sit back in a zone, they tend to get lazy and won't be as alert.

On the other side of things, they press and are forced to play uphill the entire game, they wear down at the end. And they did.

Offensively, neither team took care of the ball and it was as sloppy of a game you will see at an upper level 8th grade game. Both teams traded turnovers and bad passes all game long.

In the end, their talent was their own demise.

From 4th grade on, they finished .500 or better, and made the playoffs for three straight seasons prior to 2012-2013.

With a good record, they never dropped divisions, and never even moved up a division until this year. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, they were unable to bring their game to another level and make their final year of basketball a fond memory.