MACA boys' turnaround vs. Minnewaska defies belief

The late Al Hendrickson once said "the only thing predictable about high school athletes is their unpredictability." Al was the long-time wrestling coach. The wisdom is underscored by a pair of games this winter between our MACA boys hoops Tigers, and the Minnewaska Lakers. How can one know what to expect in these games?
Let's take a look at the December 20 game at 'Waska, where the host Lakers got the job done quite nicely. The Lakers downed our Tigers 49-37.
A re-match occurred Tuesday (2/5) at our home court, where the difference was so marked, you had to scratch your head. How unpredictable are high school kids? The orange and black not only won the re-match, we were so dominating that "running time" was used at the end. That adds insult to injury for the loser.
The Tigers pummeled the offense-deprived Lakers in the February 5 affair, with the scoreboard showing 59-27 at the end. I heard about the "running time" thing the next day. So I had to wonder: was there some kind of backstory for the tale of comparative scores - the loss and the win? How could the win have been so decisive? How could the Lakers have become so anemic as to score only 27 points? Backstory? My first thought was whether 'Waska might have had some suspension of starters. My conversation with knowledgeable fans indicated that "no," this was not the explanation.
We might have done one or two tactical things particularly well in the re-match. Even though, this is hard to swallow because 'Waska has well-established quality. They made state last year. Last year they got past our Tigers in a post-season game that we seemed poised to win toward the end. But 'Waska surged to overcome the Tigers, and went on to state.
Might the Tigers and Lakers meet for a third time this season? Surely that would be interesting. All bets are off. Follow the wisdom of the late Coach Al.
The Tigers led 27-14 at halftime of their rout over the Lakers. We pummeled our foe into a corner in the second half, outscoring them 32-13. The refs deemed "running time" the appropriate course. The Lakers wouldn't have to feel humiliated much longer. We cruised to game's end with a feeling of owning this one. Nice night for the home fans, in a week marked by the most unpleasant winter weather. I'm writing this on a most frigid day.
We crushed a Laker team that came out of the night at 12-7. We ascended to 10-7. The Lakers had an abysmal shooting percentage of 23 (on 8 of 34) including just one of eleven in 3's.
It is hard to find media coverage of this game. But I can tell you that Jaret Johnson was a leader for our Tigers with 23 points. Camden Arndt did his part with 13 and Jackson Loge put in ten. Minnewaska's Shawn Carsten scored ten points and grabbed eight rebounds. No other Laker scored in double figures.
 
Barber leaving us
Say it isn't so! Our lone barber, our answer to "Floyd the Barber," is going to enter his well-deserved retirement. Dave Evenson cuts hair capably and can provide background on local topics of note in the process of conversing. He has worked from several locations in Morris. He's wrapping up his career at the Theater Arcade. Yours truly has been pleased getting his rare haircuts there.

(image from Sr. Perspective)

My habit has been to let my hair grow out a little too long and then get it cut short. Perhaps I'm conflicted: the fashion was for males to have long hair in my teen and young adult years. The current fashion is quite different and conventional.
Young males once made a "statement" with their hair. Long hair suggested you were almost certainly against the Vietnam war. It's puzzling how hair length could be connected to any sort of opinion like that. The '70s were odd times. Young males also felt they had to wear tight-fitting clothing a la "Starsky and Hutch." Wear loose-fitting clothes and you might be considered a "nerd." Have short hair and you might be considered a "narc." Both terms are in the dustbin of history now.
Where will I go once Barber Dave leaves us? The latest word is that there's no replacement set for him. Can't Morris attract a barber? I don't think our local economy is doing that well, frankly. One can always go to a female cosmetologist. I have done that a few times in my life. I used to see a female hair cutter at the Viking Plaza Mall (Alexandria), a place that is in near-death now. There is a YouTube series called "Dead Malls." The videographer should visit Viking Plaza Mall, which almost got to the point of a sheriff's sale not long ago.
Looks like I'll be seeing a female hair cutter again. I'll sit down and have the apron placed over my lap, then I'll say "OK, I'll keep my hands where you can see them." You ought to smile at that line. It's a reference to a notorious episode from Morris history, the kind of thing you won't see preserved at our Historical Society. Seriously, I'll deliberately keep my hands outside the apron, just because of a certain image dancing in my head.
- Brian Williams - morris mn - bwilly73@yahoo.com