Tourney time is best
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Tournament time is finally here.
The point in the season has arrived that teams have been preparing for all season. It’s the final exam of winter athletics, and there is that sense of increased importance at any county or state tournament event.
At the high school level, swimming seeds came out Wednesday and in our Packet’s swimming-rich area, there is always the chance that at least one of our teams will reach a state final. The boys’ tournament gets under way Monday, and it’s always fun to find just who can find their best at the end.
The Prep A state boys’ basketball tournament kicked off Wednesday with The Hun School topping Monmouth Academy. The Prep A girls’ bracket begins Saturday for Princeton Day School, while Stuart Country Day opens play in Prep B action Saturday as well.
For the first time, sectional track meets will be held on Saturday and Sunday. It gives track and field athletes one more step from which to advance before reaching the group level and ultimately the Meet of Champions. It also legitimizes more a season whose meets can be hard to keep track of.
At the college level, the Princeton University men’s basketball team is one of the exceptions to the idea of looking to its final two weeks of the season for a culmination. It can argue that its tournament began last weekend with a perfect 2-0 start against Dartmouth and Harvard. The PU women’s Ivy League season began before their winter exams with a win over Penn before an 0-2 road trip last weekend. Neither team has a postseason Ivy playoff, so the regular season is the proverbial 14-game tournament.
Just as it was noticeable that the Tiger men were playing for a little bit more, so too will be the case at the high school level. The Mercer County Tournaments for swimming, wrestling and track last weekend showed as much with season-best performances from top to bottom. In particular, veteran athletes with a grasp of how much was at stake came through more often.
As West Windsor-Plainsboro North junior distance runner Anthony Lee said, “It’s the start of trying to run really fast times.”
Athletes have been trying hard, but there’s an extra push come playoff time. You can feel it in the energy of tournament matchups.
For the best and worst teams, tournaments are the big chance to make a season memorable. Princeton Day School boys’ head coach Paris McLean understands the legacy that the end of the season leaves as his basketball team prepares to tip off tournament time. McLean said, “Records don’t leave their mark, championships leave their mark.”
The New England Patriots will be able to attest to that sentiment, though they may be remembered as much for missing the title as the New York Giants are celebrated as Super Bowl champions.
There’s a tangible reward to most championships, some sort of plaque or trophy to recognize the achievement. It’s ironic because a trophy is less necessary on a title team whose athletes are likely to remember forever a championship season.
Those banners, plaques and trophies are what are on the line now. It’s down to the final month for winter sports. Tournament time. Every team and athlete’s true time to shine.