Game 31: Rockridge @ Ridgewood (Boy's Basketball)

Game 31
Rockridge @ Ridgewood (Boy's Basketball)
(11/30/10)

The rat race of broadcasting a game nearly every night of the week started to catch up with my scheduling. I will be doing a much better job at advanced scheduling, and until this point, have done a good job with planning. However, this broadcast was one of those planned just a couple days in advance.

It would have been a little easier (drive wise) if the game were being played at Alwood High School, but it was in Cambridge. The drive is just about 15 minutes further, so not that bad.



In fact, I am glad I chose this game. It was competitive, and both head coaches are class acts. Jeff Henry leads Rockridge and Jeff Hannam coaches Ridgewood. Plus, as I mentioned to coach Hannam it had been about seven or eight years since I have broadcasted in the Cambridge gym.

The CHS gym is extremely small, a classic cracker box. Even playing in high school (making sure the bench didn't rise into the air), it was very confusing trying to understand where the out-of-bounds line was, with the retaining line. Heck, tonight even some of the host Spartans had trouble with that.

Misjudging the amount of time it takes from Monmouth to Cambridge, I headed out on Route 34, and realized I was going to be extra early. The Tuesday "blahs" had set in. For some reason, I am more tired on Tuesdays than Mondays. A boost was needed. The McCafe under the golden arches was just what I needed. I went for a large coffee with two creams, to give me a caffeinated boost. Coffee in the morning, and many times coffee in the afternoon. The key to a 150-broadcast season!

On the way up Interstate-74, I had a conversation with Farmington head football coach Casey Martin, talking about some of the football coaching vacancies in central Illinois, and spoke a little basketball.

For the second time in the day, I had to fill up at the pump, stopping at Casey's in Andover. I then pulled into Cambridge around 4:45, plenty of time to get set up, talk with coaches, and fill out the scorebook.

The Ridgewood dance team was practicing when I walked into the gym. One thing I have noticed in both Alwood and Cambridge gyms. Hardly a mention of the Ridgewood Spartans. The co-op is in its second year, but hardly any signage in either gym. There is a Spartans cushion pad on one wall at the Alwood gym, and maybe some other signs. Cambridge hosts just a few of the events. It is filled with old Cambridge Vikings banners, representing mostly football, but also volleyball and basketball.

Coach Hannam came up around 5:15 to make sure I had everything I needed. In fact I did, with the table and chairs set up on the stage in the gym, I was good to go. The only worry I have in traveling to gyms I have never done an Internet broadcast, is the connection. There are only a few gyms that I get a poor signal and cannot broadcast. Those gyms are (Biggsville) West Central, Farmington, and I do not get any signal in Quincy, because I use a Verizon wireless card, and Quincy is not covered in the Gem City. The city sticks out like a sore thumb on a Verizon coverage map, an island of white among a sea of red.

Rockridge entered the gym shortly after, and coach Henry stopped by to chat. We talked West Central Conference basketball. The Rockets open league play on Friday at Macomb. It will be a very balanced conference. I break down conferences in tiers, and it's pretty hard to tier out the WCC North division this season. Orion, Monmouth-Roseville and Macomb are probably the favorites, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the other teams contend (Illini West, Sherrard, Rockridge).

The Cambridge band played on the stage, performing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and "Crazy Train." When they performed the National Anthem, I counted bleacher rows. For some reason, I count things during the National Anthem. I don't do it all the time, but many times I will. The last game I did so, was last Tuesday at Quincy. The bottom bricks are painted white, with the top bricks to the ceiling painted white. I forget how many blue and white bricks there were, but I knew last week! Eight rows of bleachers on each side in the Cambridge gym.

Rockridge jumped out to a 18-11 lead after the first quarter, and led 42-34 at halftime. Joe Heath had 11 points at the break for the Rockets, while Ty Waugh led the Spartans with 13 first half points. Heath finished with a game-high 24 points to lead Rockridge to the 73-61 win. Waugh tallied 17 points.

Free throws, free throws, free throws! Ridgewood trailed by three points early in the fourth quarter, and went to the free throw line four times, missing all four attempts. Ridgewood went just 0-5 in the third quarter, and 2-9 in the fourth quarter from the charity stripe. The Spartans finished 5-20 from the free throw line. Rockridge was 8-11 through three quarters, and finished 15-26 from the line.

Useless Fact of the Trip: It takes exactly one Led Zeppelin "Kashmir" to get from the edge of Good Hope, IL to the edge of Macomb, IL.

Game 31 Miles: 166