A loss can keep you humble.
‘Everyone knows how to feel good when you’re winning,? said Coach Dan Fife, Clarkston Varsity Basketball.
‘Athletics teaches humility. Really athletics teaches you how to act when things aren’t going well. Every time you get to feeling good about yourself, it will humble you in a heartbeat. Once you relax, once you get to thinking you are something special, it’s got a way of bringing you to it’s knees. What you do when you are at your knees determines who you are. It’s a good character builder all the time.?
Clarkston’s Cagers faced their first loss Thursday at West Bloomfield, 50-47.
‘It’s a first loss,? Fife said. ‘A tough loss.?
Fife focused on using the loss as a lesson on the court as well as in life.
‘I think this is good for us. I hope it’s good for us. If it’s not good for us, then we aren’t who we are anyways,? said Fife.
Both teams remained close in score throughout the game. West Bloomfield was one point ahead going into the second half. With two minutes left, the score was tied 47-47.
With 2.7 seconds left, Joshua Eichelberger went for points for the Lakers, sending the ball into the air and making those last three points.
‘We have been warning them about this kind of effort for awhile, we have been getting by, getting by,? said Fife.
‘We’re at ninth game of the season. It gives us stuff what we need to see, need to work on and sends a message to us. It really determines the character of our program, where we are at, and how we fight back through adversity.?
High scorers for Clarkston were Julius Porter, 13; Tom Staton, 8; and Matt Kamieniecki, 12.
High scorers from West Bloomfield were Joshua Eichelberger, 17; and Roderick Hurst, 10.
Clarkston Junior Varsity won their game 47-42
High scorers for the game were Brandon Pokley, 22, Tom Staton, 13, and Matt Kamieniecki,10.