All smiles last week as we had some thrilling matches and some hilarious moments! This week saw the Mad Scones squaring off against the Ballymun Ballers and the All Stars facing the Strikers!
During every match the coaches keep a keen eye on their players in order to reward them for things they did on the court. Each kid receives one star in one of the following categories: Effort, Sportsmanship, Offense, Defense, and Christlikeness. It's this last one that we love to focus on and this week, one girl in particular stood out as the most Christlike. Because of a mix up on getting a lift to the gym, she ran from her house showing up 5 minutes late and completely out of breath. Delighted to see her, the coach gave her a high-five and said he would get her in in the next quarter.
As soon as she went in, face red and sweating, she went for a rebound and got the ball square on her nose. Struggling to breathe already, she found herself winded and ran out of the hall in tears. The coach went out to her making sure that she was okay, expecting her to sit out for the rest of the game. But, she tugged on the coach's shirt and said she wanted to go back in, as she wiped her tears away. Sure enough, she stepped on the court and made an immediate impact on her team and the game as a whole.
When handing out the white star for christlikeness, the coach said that her actions today reminded him of Jesus' perseverance on his way to complete his mission on the cross. Her sacrifice for the team was one of the highlights of the season and an indication that something more than basketball is happening in this sports hall!
Tune in for next week!
