Tears Flow as Game-Winning Shot Helps Town Heal

Sometimes, it's the little things in life that really matter.

And while I don't normally write about high school sports in my blogs and columns on this site, I am compelled to make an exception this time.

Last night, I was lucky enough to witness one of those rare moments, in a gymnasium in the small midwestern town of Grayslake, Illinois. It also happens to be where I graduated from high school.

Last weekend, one of the team's former star girls basketball players, Alex Scarbro, tragically lost her life. Alex played on the 2010-11 squad that made it to the IHSA Class 3A Elite Eight, and wasn't just a great basketball player.

She was a tremendous, giving human being.



So needless to say, last night was a diffcult time, as it was also Grayslake's first home game since her passing. The Rams were facing one of their biggest rivals in the Fox Valley Conference, Cary-Grove.

There on the Grayslake bench sat Alex's green jersey, with the #10 on it, the entire game. It had been symbolically placed there by Rams coach Steve Ikenn.

Trailing by a point with 11 seconds to go, the Rams threw the ball in-bounds, and what happened next was a bit of magic reminiscent of the same magic so many witnessed when Scarbro finished her career there two years earlier.

Junior center Morgan Dahlstrom, who was one of the few current players on the varsity roster the same time Scarbro was two years earlier, sank the game-winning layup with just 7.6 seconds to go, giving the Rams a one-point victory.

And even though it was only a regular season game, fans began storming the court as the final horn sounded in what suddenly erupted into a wild celebration.

There, in the middle of it all, was Alex's father Dave, who was understandably bawling his eyes out after the shot went in, making winners out of the Rams. One-by-one, fans began hugging him. Even those who didn't know him but only knew his family's tragic story were also in tears.

After making his way through the mob of fans, he found Grayslake Central's players waiting for him. They, too, were in tears, knowing what the moment meant to him, and the entire community, and formed a huge circle around him while also showering him with hugs.

"I knew Alex was gonna make something happen," Dave kept saying repeatedly, as tears of a momentary comfort streamed down his eyes. "I just knew it. I told everyone."

Minutes after the game, I, too approached Dave, who reached out and gave me a huge hug. I felt his warm tears on my own cheek as they fell onto mine. I could tell words could never capture how much the moment meant to him. As he let go of me, he just looked back and smiled.

I'm not necessarily one to believe in divine intervention in sporting events. But if ever there was a moment made for such a thing, Friday night was it.

Maybe, just maybe Alex was there, in that gym, giving the team an extra boost in the waning seconds. Maybe she was there to oversee such a beautiful moment. One that for at least one night, helped start the healing process for a small community that was stunned by her sudden passing.

Oh, the little things.

This one "little thing," which felt more like a small miracle, made me, and a lot of other people smile again, if only for a night.

And it was one tiny step on the long road to recovery for a town that continues to miss Alex. A town that will never forget what she meant to it, and continues to.

NBA Must Send Rondo a Strong Message

First, it was Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace) running into the stands to confront a fan who threw a full bottle of soda at him, in what turned into a nasty brawl between players and fans in the stands in Detroit years ago.

As a result, fans at NBA games aren't allowed to have caps on their open bottles of Pepsi, Sprite, or whatever their drink of choice is. Not even us media folks, as I found out firsthand at Milwaukee's Bradley Center earlier this year.

Last night, a similar situation nearly took place at TD Gardens in Boston after Brooklyn Nets/Kardashian reality star Kris Humphries fouled Celtics forward Kevin Garnett during the final minute of the first half.



Click here to see video of the incident: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-11-28/celtics-nets-brawl-fight-rajon-rondo-kris-humphries-kevin-garnett-gerald-wallace?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D239378

Immediately after the foul, Garnett's teammate Rajon Rondo went after Humphries, pushing him in the face and pushing him backwards until there were at least 10 players grabbing and pushing in several rows of courtside seats. There were also allegedly punches thrown. The video clearly shows Humphries initially doing everything in his power to avoid the conflict from escalating.

Interestingly, Rondo came into the night tied with John Stockton for the most consecutive games with 10 or more assists. He had just three when he was ejected, meaning Stockton's record remains safe for now. The two will remain tied in the record books.

Chicago Bulls fans near where I live are well-aware of Rondo's temper and aggressive style of play, as are NBA fans nationwide. In fact, his history of nonsense is well-documented.

In April 2012, Rondo was suspended one game for bumping a referee during a playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks. What made the incident even more pathetic was Rondo's lame excuse that the official "got in his way."

Earlier that season, in February, he was suspended for two games for throwing a ball at another official's chest.

When you also consider that Rondo's jersey is the sixth top-selling jersey in the entire NBA, one thing is clear: kids look up to Rondo. He's an incredibly talented, popular player.

People will be quick to point fingers, and on talk shows and sports shows across the country, the root of this problem will be discussed ... not just in Rondo's life, but in the lives of youths across the country.

Sure, fights and scuffles have gone on in the NBA as long as the league has existed. But these days, the fights seem to get scarier and scarier. We live in a society that shamefully has become little more at times than an a WWE wrestling match gone wrong, as evidenced by fans in Boston egging Rondo on as the incident occured.

This is the kind of moment that gets seered into our childrens' minds. Many of whom are busy asking their mom or dad, "Why are those men trying to hurt each other?" Even in the video, I see a young boy who can't be more than 10 or 11, with a giant green Celtics foam finger, who was nearly caught in the middle of the fray.

Frightening, as he stands there among seven-foot giants.

Instead of continuing on an even more long-winded rant, I will make my point brief and clear.

Throw the book at Rondo, commissioner Stern. And order him to seek some sort of help, as he clearly has an anger issue. Fans of the NBA, our kids who look up to these "men," they deserve better.

Deal with this swiftly, before someone innocent sitting in the stands gets hurt badly. Or worse.