It was the loudest roar I've ever heard. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
When I first walked into the Dexter High School gym on Friday it was the first thing to pop into my head. But I resisted the analogy. Too corny. Too cliche. But as the night played out before me it became harder to ignore. Then, impossible to resist. What at the beginning was too obvious, by the end was too perfect.
This was Michigan vs. Ohio State on a chilly November afternoon. It was Isiah's Pistons vs. Michael's Bulls. But it was more than that. It was Hickory vs. South Bend Central.
Welcome to Indiana basketball.
Welcome to Dexter-Chelsea basketball.
While the game on the floor didn't begin until after 7 p.m., the "other game" began much earlier. The Dexter students had filled almost the entire student section during the JV game. Dressed in a sea of black, they were quite the intimidating force – sort of Darth Vadar meets James Naismith.
At the other end of the gym was the Chelsea student section, ready to cheer on their undefeated Bulldogs. As the two teams raced onto the floor for pre-game warm-ups the "other game" had already tipped off.
Watch that purgatory they call a gym.
Let's go Dexter! Let's go Dexter!
The game on the floor didn't exactly start with a bang. It took a few minutes for the players to catch their breath and catch up with the fans. At the 6 minute mark, Chelsea's Nate Schwarze ended the scoring drought and the Chelsea fans erupted. This game was now officially on.
Meanwhile, the Dexter "crazies" stood and cheered. Whenever Chelsea had the ball, the "crazies" would roar a loud and thunderous "Ooooooooooh!" The bleachers at that end rattled and "Oooooooohs" would continue until either a break in the action or Dexter gained control of the ball.
With 2 minutes left in the quarter, Mike Sauers steals the ball and lays it in to give the visitors a 13-8 lead. That's one way to quiet the crowd. But when Schwarze, who would nail three triples in the first half, threw up an air-ball, the Dexter fans let him have it. "Air ball, air ball."
With 18 seconds left in the quarter, Johnny Benjamin – remember that name – hit a tough shot to cut the lead to 15-12. The "crazies" would finish off the quarter in unison: "Ooooooooooooh!"
I've seen you guys can shoot but there's more to the game than shooting. There's fundamentals and defense.
Chelsea's patience on offense was impressive. The Bulldogs would work the ball around the perimeter - never in a hurry to shoot. But when there was an opening, everyone had a green light to let it fly. Early in the second quarter, the Bulldogs' patience and offensive rebounding was taking its toll on Dexter. "Get a rebound down here, come on white," yelled Dexter Coach Randy Swoverland.
Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team - no one more important than the other.
Dexter's Rob Kuzon would tie the game at 15-15 early in the second quarter. Chelsea rushed down and forced a shot. The patience had disappeared, right along with the lead. But Mike Sauers nails a three to give Chelsea an 18-15 lead. Benjamin – remember that name – answers with his own three-pointer and it's all tied again.
Chelsea grabs a 26-21 lead on a three-pointer by Micah Hudson. The Bulldogs get the ball back and return to their patient ways. And the Dexter "crazies" return to their "Oooooooooohs!"
Robby Whitlock is only 6-years-old, but he has a front-row seat. He can't make up his mind which game to watch. So his eyes dart back and forth from the floor to those students dressed in black who never sit down.
Following a long offensive drought at the end of the first half, James Nati turns his steal into two points just before the buzzer. Chelsea takes a 26-23 lead into halftime.
If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we're gonna be winners.
With 5:40 left in the third quarter, Sauers gives Chelsea a 32-28 lead on a three-pointer. But Dexter is winning the "other game." Outnumbered, the Chelsea students do their best and come armed with their own bag of tricks. But the sea of black is just too dominating, too overpowering.
Later in the quarter, Sauers dives to the floor without hesitation for a loose ball. Kuzon twists his finger into a pretzel over by the sidelines going for the ball. A minute later, after some tape and mustard are applied, he's back on the floor. Then, Dexter's Dave Pisano hurts his ankle and screams in frustration. He knows the pain will force him off the floor for awhile.
Tempers flare on the court for a brief moment later in the quarter but order is quickly restored. The quarter ends with Chelsea clinging to a 38-37 lead.
"Strap, God wants you on the court."
Sitting courtside near the Chelsea bench is 8th grader Conor Tait. He predicts a Chelsea victory, but doesn't seem overly confident.
Schwarze begins the fourth quarter standing near halfcourt dribbling the ball. He's all alone, waiting for the Dexter defense to come and get him. He seems prepared to wait the entire 8 minutes if he has to. Chelsea is sending a message. If you're going to beat us, you have to come get us.
The patience is rewarded when Hudson hits a three-pointer as the Chelsea fans erupt.
Dexter didn't touch the ball until the 5:43 mark of the quarter. But they come right back and score. Nati gives Dexter its first lead of the game when he nails a three-pointer to make it 43-41. Chelsea comes right back though as Sauers gives the Bulldogs a 46-43 lead. Back and forth they go. With 1:24 to play and leading 51-45 Chelsea Coach Robin Raymond calls a time out.
He wants to settle his team down. This isn't the time for dumb mistakes. Raymond knows his team has done the tough part. Now comes the tougher part – holding on. The Chelsea faithful is roaring, suddenly they're loader than their rivals across the way.
Ahead 53-49 with 22.1 seconds left, Dexter's Ryan LeMasters sends Schwarze flying. LeMasters doesn't get a flagrant foul called on him but does get an earful from the official.
Alright, boys, this is the last shot we got! We're gonna run the picket fence at 'em! Now, boys, don't get caught watchin' the paint dry!
Ahead by three points and facing a full-court press, Chelsea tries for the long ball. Adam Connell catches the ball in stride and instead of bringing it down and running out the clock goes up for the layup. But it's not an easy catch and shoot and the ball rolls off the rim. Chelsea made the crucial mistake of not slamming the door on a rival – leaving only a crack is too much in games like this.
Benjamin – remember that name – lets fly a three-pointer that touches nothing but net and just beats the buzzer. The loudest roar one will ever hear in a high school gym explodes as a tidal wave overcomes the black sea. The "crazies" go crazy.
Benjamin races the length of the floor and ends up face to face with the Chelsea student section. The two "games" suddenly meet. But neither game is over.
"You know most people would kill to be treated like a god – just for a few moments."
With the game tied at 57-57 with 39.8 seconds left in overtime, the teams returned to the floor following a time out. The crowd stood and cheered – both teams. The fans were thanking these young men for putting on such a memorable show – encore and all.
The overtime period was almost anti-climatic even though Benjamin would nail the game winner with only .6 seconds left on the clock. Benjamin came down the lane and hit a tough running jumper that would break the tie and end Chelsea's undefeated season. The players and the crowd would leave exhilarated and exhausted.
The Dexter "crazies" final salute to their neighbors was a chant of "overrated." But they were wrong. Dexter might be underrated, but Chelsea is not overrated.
"I'll make it."
Like most great players Benjamin (and Jimmy Chitwood) want the ball with the game on the line.
"He loves competition and wants the ball at the end," Swoverland said. "He lives for moments like this."
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