The Cooldown: Week 29
San Antonio - A dark cloud hung over the Alamodome last weekend as teams from all over the state made the annual pilgrimage to the River City with dreams of a state championship hanging in the balance.
As the smaller schools got underway, the news from the outside was changing seemingly by the minute as news of the deadly pandemic known as Covid-19 quickly became the talk amongst a nervous group of players, coaches and fans.
Shortly before halftime of the game between Dallas Madison and Coldspring-Oakhurst, the UIL announced that the tournament would be postponed to a later date. Madison would go on to win that game by a final of 90-73 but all the attention quickly turned to the uncertainty that surrounded a disease that was ravaging the rest of the world.
Reaction to the decision was mixed but mostly supportive as the greater good of the community became the top priority.
Players and coaches were understandably disappointed but still hopeful of being able to finish the season at some point before the school year comes to an end. The UIL is doing its best to make that a reality but the odds of that happening seem long at best. There's a very real chance that the basketball season has come to an end.
For teams like Yates and Hightower, the disappointment is especially real. Both had high hopes of avenging disappointing finishes last season. Yates had worked all year for a rematch with Faith Family and had just pulled into town when they got word that the game had been postponed (in all likelihood cancelled). Hightower was just hours away from tipoff when they received word at their hotel.
Sadly it appears these teams will be a footnote in state championship history. Not since World War II has there been a season that was incomplete due to circumstances out of the control of the teams involved. There is still some hope that the games could be played but the logistics of pulling it all together would appear to be working against this year's participants.