Poised on the pinpoint of perfection
At 7:19 Saturday night in Christianson Gymnasium, the chant began to echo.
Un-de-fea-ted.
The echo became a roar.
Un-de-fea-ted. Un-de-fea-ted.
For the first time in the history of North Idaho College athletics, the men’s basketball team had, indeed, just gone undefeated. The last victim in NIC’s 30 regular-season assaults was Snow College of Ephraim, Utah, which went down 80-67 after trailing by a point at halftime.
The historic season came about the only way historic seasons ever do. Great talent. Excellent coaching. Lack of key injuries. Big plays at the exact moments you need big plays. And maybe most of all, teamwork.
Al Williams, NIC’s athletic director and a former outstanding college basketball player himself, soaked in the postgame celebration. He talked about how good these players are — not just as players, but as people. He spoke about the team’s chemistry, the hunger for team success exceeding each player’s desire for personal accolades.
He did not let the moment elude him. No other community college basketball team in the nation, and there are 1,108 community colleges in all, stood like NIC at the finish line, a model of perfection.
Undefeated.
Williams’ comments could very well have been spoken about a high school basketball team just a bucketful of miles north of NIC. Shortly before NIC’s huge win Saturday, Timberlake High School’s girls basketball team won its first state championship. And speaking of perfection, only a season-opening, 2-point loss at Lewiston, a school bigger in both enrollment and the size of its players, kept Timberlake from going un-de-fea-ted.
How did Timberlake win 23 games in a row? Relentless defensive pressure and, on the offensive side, you need look no further than the championship game box score to see the kind of unselfishness that captures titles. For Marsh Valley, six players scored, none in double figures. For Timberlake, 13 players scored.
Saturday was one for the local basketball record books. While NIC finished its regular season unbeaten and Timberlake captured its first state title, Lake City, Sandpoint and Lakeside all completed the playoffs with victories.
The Press congratulates all the coaches, players and fans who have made this such a memorable sports month for all the rest of us. And here’s wishing the Cardinals the very best as they begin the playoffs Friday.