Hall’s regional upset a special moment

One of the great things about my job is that I often get to witness a special event in the lives of the student-athletes and coaches I cover. Whether it’s a state medal in cross country, a game winning home run, or a big team win, I often know I’m watching something special, especially in the lives of those students and coaches, as well as the communities they represent.

Last Wednesday night was one of those times, when despite overwhelming odds the Hall boys’ basketball team beat top-seeded Illinois Valley Central at the IVC 2A Regional.

Sure, it was just an opening round regional game, and no nets were cut down when the final buzzer sounded on the Red Devils’ 49-42 win. But to the boys on the team, and head coach Mike Filippini, who had previously lost to IVC by 42 and 29 points during the regular season, the win meant a lot.

“It just means everything,” said Hall senior Matt Orlandi after the win. “With only winning eight games up until now, it means the whole season to us.”

With Hall’s second loss to IVC occurring only five days before the regional matchup, in both squads’ regular season finales, you would have been hard pressed to find someone to pick the underdogs to win.

Orlandi admitted that even some of the Red Devils themselves were skeptical before tip-off that they could beat IVC after the pair of lopsided losses.

“Half of us didn’t think we could (win),” Orlandi said, “but at halftime we all knew we could do it.”

Using a spread offense and stalling tactics, the Red Devils played with confidence and poise in the second half, and began to gain some distance on the Grey Ghosts early in the fourth quarter.

As the clock ticked down on a nearly flawless team performance and the small possibility of an upset became a big reality, I did my best to soak up the atmosphere. That moment, I came to realize later when thinking about the game, was what high school sports and teamwork are all about.

Teams like Hall, and their performance that magical night, is why they play the games.