The Rye High School Boys basketball team continued their post season basketball journey with a defeat of District #1 seed Holly (as reported last week) and a narrow edge of your seat loss in a thriller against Crowley County. But, according to Head Coach Dakota Stupar the results of the week on the basketball court were only a small part of the story.
“What I do not want to get lost in this past weekend is how proud I am of them, ALL OF THEM,” expressed Stupar. “I am proud of the results, but that is only a small part of it. This past weekend is probably the most special weekend I have ever had as a coach. The DiMatteo family has gone through something you would never wish on your worst enemy. The passing of Graham hit home in many ways. Graham, being a member of the boys basketball team as well his older brother Micah being on the team, was something I have never experienced in my 10 years of coaching. The way the guys came together the day after Graham had passed to beat Swink and then competed this weekend literally leaves me speechless. They came together as a family. They were there to support, we had team meals, and we were able to become stronger as a team. What they did was just love each other and be there for each other. Sports are not just about winning and losing, I believe winning and losing is a very small part of it all. It is about helping teach how to handle adversity, grow as an adult, and hopefully help leave a positive impact on the athletes and those around. This weekend was way bigger than basketball and I am glad I get to call this team family.”
After defeating the #1 seed in the district tournament, Rye lined up against Crowley County. The game went back and forth. Rye led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime that lead was a single point, 24-23.
“The 3rd quarter was not a good offensive quarter for us,” analyzed Stupar. “The only points we scored in the 3rd quarter were three free throws. We were down going into the 4th quarter. Defensively we got some stops and started hitting some shots. We were down 40-36 with 5.2 seconds left. A timeout was called and a new play was drawn up that was executed by all five players on the floor and Brandon Benz hit a three with three seconds left.”
Down by a point the Thunderbolts fouled Crowley County twice. Crowley was in a 1-in-1 situation and missed the first shot on each occasion. Rye got the rebound and had 1.8 seconds left. Rye had the ball with three quarters of the court to travel. Jay Graham took a shot from about half court and hit the side of the rim. Rye will travel to Yuma and will meet Vail Christian at 7 p.m. Friday night. If Rye wins that game, they will play the winner of Yuma and Dawson. The winner of that game will play in the Elite Eight.
There are eight regions in the state with four teams each. The top 32 ranked teams in the state will compete for the eight final spots. In Rye’s region, Region 1, Rye will have to go through Yuma who currently is ranked #1. There first round opponent is Dawson (8-14) and ranked 32nd.
Rye is ranked #17 with a record of 15-7 and Vail Christian is ranked #16 and has a 14-8 record.