Heartbreaker
Ken Woods
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: Sports
The long season filled with highs and lows came down to one game. The philosophy for the Leathernecks basketball team seeking to secure a playoff spot was simple: "Win, and you're in."
The 'Necks were in a position to do so at home on Saturday. Western was trailing 69-66 with only 27 seconds left in the contest. They had possession, so they took a timeout and discussed the vital play.
The 'Necks hit the floor with the play drawn up and the fans were on their feet. With 17 seconds left to go, junior guard Quentin Kirby threw a pass, along with the 'Necks' hopes of making a postseason run into the stands. The botched pass sealed their fate as Western went on to lose by a final score of 71-66 to IUPUI in the last game of the season.
"It's just heartbreaking to end our season like this because we worked so hard," said senior guard David DuBois with tears in his eyes. "I wanted to go to the tournament, I think we could have made some noise in the tournament, but we just came up short tonight."
That critical turnover lost all the momentum Western had built and proved to be a costly substitution.
"We put Quentin in because we thought he could create a drive to the basket, take it deep and kick it, but he was nowhere all night. So the reality of it is maybe I have to look at the decision," said head coach Jim Molinari.
For senior guards Josh Rivers and DuBois, the loss was especially hard. Rivers and DuBois played their last game as a Leatherneck and were honored after the game for senior night.
"This is why every team needs to go the tournament," Molinari said. "David DuBois and Josh Rivers deserve to go, and we are one of the only leagues that don't take every team. I was blessed to have Josh Rivers and David DuBois. They were tremendous and played their hearts out. They came to work everyday."
"I thought we were going to win the whole game. It's tough because we fought hard the whole game and left it all on the court," Rivers said. "We just didn't make the plays down the stretch."
The 'Necks were in a position to do so at home on Saturday. Western was trailing 69-66 with only 27 seconds left in the contest. They had possession, so they took a timeout and discussed the vital play.
The 'Necks hit the floor with the play drawn up and the fans were on their feet. With 17 seconds left to go, junior guard Quentin Kirby threw a pass, along with the 'Necks' hopes of making a postseason run into the stands. The botched pass sealed their fate as Western went on to lose by a final score of 71-66 to IUPUI in the last game of the season.
"It's just heartbreaking to end our season like this because we worked so hard," said senior guard David DuBois with tears in his eyes. "I wanted to go to the tournament, I think we could have made some noise in the tournament, but we just came up short tonight."
That critical turnover lost all the momentum Western had built and proved to be a costly substitution.
"We put Quentin in because we thought he could create a drive to the basket, take it deep and kick it, but he was nowhere all night. So the reality of it is maybe I have to look at the decision," said head coach Jim Molinari.
For senior guards Josh Rivers and DuBois, the loss was especially hard. Rivers and DuBois played their last game as a Leatherneck and were honored after the game for senior night.
"This is why every team needs to go the tournament," Molinari said. "David DuBois and Josh Rivers deserve to go, and we are one of the only leagues that don't take every team. I was blessed to have Josh Rivers and David DuBois. They were tremendous and played their hearts out. They came to work everyday."
"I thought we were going to win the whole game. It's tough because we fought hard the whole game and left it all on the court," Rivers said. "We just didn't make the plays down the stretch."
Be the first to comment on this story