Kids were throwing snow balls rather than basketballs and building up snowmen rather than their muscles all last week as a flurry of ice and snow forced many schools to cancel many of their practices and games. In a time when many local teams are pushing for a surge into the post-season the loss of valuable gym time was a legitimate concern.
"We only practiced but once last week," Molalla girls’ basketball head coach Ray Williams said. For a team that is young and not used to extended hiatus in play it might have been a contributing factor in their loss on Friday to Cascade.
As the cold white flakes piled up all around Molalla and the surrounding areas teams were forced to reschedule games where they could and it forced them into back-to-back situations. The boys and girls teams from Colton and Country Christian played on Friday and Saturday nights. The Country Christian Girls did not get back from their game on Friday night against Jewel until close to 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning–less than 16 hours before tip-off time with C.S. Lewis.
"My girls were tired, they were just dying on the bus ride over," Country Christian girls basketball head coach Russell Halverson said of their game Saturday night at George Fox University.
With the short notice of rescheduled games–sometimes only three days before the games–some local players could not get out of work shifts. Country Christian was missing two regular starters at game-time on Saturday as well as a primary rotation player from off of the bench.
Colton wrestling lost some practices all together and were missing members of the team for others as some wrestlers could not make it in to practice. This meant that the team did not have enough bodies to match-up kids in practice, and all of this less than a month before the state meet is set to begin.
"I told the kids to come in only if they could make it in safely," Colton head wrestling coach Kerry Benthin said. The Viking wrestlers were forced to have their Thursday meet on Friday and because the Colton basketball teams were using the high school gym. They held the three-way dual at the middle school instead.
As the snow and ice melt from cars’ roofs and rain gutters’ edges some kids were able to nurse lingering injuries in the unexpected midweek vacation. It allowed a much-needed breather from the daily wear and tear of daily practice.
"It gave some kids with ankle injuries a chance to recover a little bit," Country Christian boys basketball head coach Doug Nofziger said.
Colton boys’ head basketball coach Greg Adams was more concerned with the mental setback it would have on his team rather than the physical. His team, which had won all five close-game situations it faced previously in the season, dropped two games to Sheridan and Gervais by four points or less.
In those situations it is execution that is the most important aspect of play, something that is instilled in practice time.
In Colton's Friday night game against Gervais, Adams drew up a last second play for a three-pointer when the Vikings were only down by two points.
"I told the kids, 'maybe the time off had an effect on me as well,'" Adams said.
By the time that Adams noticed the fact that they were only down by two points it was too late and so they went with a three-point shot that they subsequently missed and lost the game.
In a time when most local teams are focusing on fundamentals for late-season surges the Molalla area was jammed into a snow globe and shook up in winter weather. Kids were slipping on the ice rather than sliding into screens and pinning little brothers into the snow rather than opponents on the mat.
The love you give comes back in the end.
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