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February 22, 2004
Repeat Twice as Sweet! All-Americans Muzzle Bulldogs for Championship!

In a cardiac-inducing game that featured six ties, twelve lead changes, and a fantastic finish to a frenetic fourth quarter, the All-Americans won their tournament championship with a hard-earned, if at times inartistic, 39-34 victory over the Bulldogs. By beating the team they lost to in the season opener, the All-Americans completed one of the most stunning turnarounds in Arlington basketball history, winning their fifth straight game and second straight championship despite starting the season 0-4.

All season long, coaches Bill Spack and Ed Foley preached the virtues of staying calm under pressure. Whether avoiding panic against a full-court press or not reacting to bad calls, disciplined play will pay benefits in the end, they said.

That advice was borne out on Championship Saturday, as the All-Americans showed incredible poise in a pressure-packed game, while the Bulldogs were curbed by an emotional outburst that may have cost them a chance to win. Having beaten the All-Americans earlier with a slew of 3-pointers, the Bulldogs decided to unleash their talented long-range shooters once again. They launched dozens of shots from beyond the arc but, ironically, it was a missed 3-pointer by the All-Americans late in the fourth quarter that turned impending defeat into improbable victory for the underdogs.

The All-Americans got off to a good start when center Chris Dola (17 points, 17 rebounds) won the opening tip-off, took a pass and powered his way to the basket, where he was fouled just 15 seconds into the game. The move foreshadowed a strategy the All-Americans would return to time and again, taking advantage of the absence of the Bulldogs' injured center to jam the ball inside, where the Bulldogs' bark was worse than their bite. Content to shoot from afar, the Bulldogs put up ten three-point shots in the first quarter alone, making just one. Meanwhile, Chris and guard David Kahan (11 points, five assists) managed to get free for several lay-ups and back door plays, accounting for all nine All-American points in the quarter, which ended 9-7.

Halfway through the second quarter, the score remain unchanged. Forward Michael Underriner broke the drought by draining a three off a pass from guard Billy Spack with 3:33 left in the half, giving the All-Americans a 12-7 lead. The Bulldogs missed two more treys before sinking one to make it 12-10. After a miss by the All-Americans, the Bulldogs zipped a pass to a shooter who had snuck behind the defense in the far corner. Center Ben Bower lunged and was able to alter the shot's trajectory, but the rainbow 3-pointer somehow hit nothing but net, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 13-12. But with 33 seconds to go, Michael found Ben underneath for a lay-up, and the All-Americans took the slimmest of leads into halftime, 14-13.

With the pace quickening and the decibel level rising, the second half opened with a flurry of baskets as the lead switched back and forth. Proving that you can teach old dogs new tricks, the Bulldogs abandoned the long ball and took it inside for the first score and a 15-14 lead. Forward Matt Yeatman answered with a swish from the wing for a 16-15 advantage. The Bulldogs scored to take a 17-16 lead, and extended it to 19-16 on a lay-up following a steal with 4:52 to go. Sensing a potentially disastrous momentum shift, the coaches called a timeout and reminded the players to relax and keep pounding the ball inside. Following the timeout, David took the in-bounds pass and found Chris under the Bulldogs basket for a beautiful reverse lay-up that stopped the slide. Chris blocked the Bulldogs' next shot, then scored again to put the All-Americans in front once more, 20-19.

But every dog has its day, and the Bulldogs regained the lead 21-20 on two free throws with 2:16 left in the third. Chris responded with a free throw to begin a 7-0 run in the final 81 seconds that included a 3-pointer from guard Alexis Planche and David's lay-up off a steal with four seconds left. The quarter ended with the All-Americans up 27-21, seven minutes away from another championship.

The Bulldogs refused to roll over and play dead, however, and opened the fourth quarter with a pair of running floaters to make the score 27-25. Then, after Chris scored and forward Antoine Planche sank a free throw to increase the lead to 30-25, it was the Bulldogs' turn to make a run. First, a long three-pointer made it 30-28 with 4:37 to go.

After stopping the All-Americans on their next possession, the Bulldogs headed up court looking to take the lead. After missing several threes, the Bulldogs found an open shooter who drove to the basket for the tying score. Two free throws on their next possession capped a 7-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 32-30 lead with just 1:34 to play. By this time the All-American defenders were exhausted, and each Bulldog possession seemed to last seven times as long as their own. They now faced the ultimate test: could they stop the

Bulldogs' run and summon the energy to stage a last-minute comeback? Following the free throws, Chris saw David streaking down court and hit him with a long outlet pass, leading to a lay-up that tied the game once again at 32. The Bulldogs brought the ball back up court, looking for a killer three to put the All-Americans away for good. An off-balance shot bounced high off the rim - but somehow fell straight back down through the net. The shooter had one foot on the line, however, so it was ruled a two-pointer, giving the Bulldogs a 34-32 lead with 1:19 to go. The All-Americans counter-attacked, and as David prepared to shoot a 3-pointer, a Bulldog defender raced toward him and grazed his arm just as he let the shot go. The referee called a foul, giving David three free throws. Visibly upset, the Bulldog player slammed his hands on the court while complaining about the call, earning a technical foul as the team had already been warned about such behavior.

This gave David two extra shots, but since the All-Americans also get the ball back after a technical foul, he would have to go to the line alone, with one minute, six seconds left in the game and the championship on the line. The boisterous gym fell silent as David prepared to shoot. For the next minute or so, the only sound in the entire building was the soft rustle of nylon netting being gently disturbed by a leather spheroid. Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. Four for four, with David's ever-present smile growing larger with each shot.

He missed the fifth and final shot, but made another one after being fouled on the ensuing possession, giving the All-Americans a 37-34 lead with 46 seconds to play. Chris put the final exclamation points on an incredible season with a put-back with 16 seconds left, and the All-Americans were soon celebrating another championship.

During the post-game trophy presentation, head coach Bill Spack congratulated the Bulldogs, but on this day the All-Americans took the prize for best in show. Addressing his team, "Coach Bill" said they were deserving champions who kept their chins up and never gave up despite some tough losses to start the season. He also thanked sponsor Sports America, Inc. for their continued support, saying he hopes there is room in the executive trophy case for another piece of hardware.

Both coaches expressed pride in their team's accomplishments this season. It was a year of adjustments - a higher division with better competition; mid-season overhauls of offensive and defensive strategies; and a constant effort to maintain the team's confidence after a slow start - but the team responded well and worked hard as a unit throughout the year. Next up is the annual game against the parents and end-of-season party. A fantastic finish to a fantastic season, one that saw the All-Americans amazingly go from worst to first - and that's no bull, dawg!

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