Tonight began when the bell first rang at Uni to dismiss us from our last class of the day. We lugged our giant orange-and-blue bags down to Kenney Gym, and fellow varsity basketball teammates/seniors Rachel Skoza, Jessi Sullivan, and I went out to Za's on campus for a fulfilling dinner. It probably sounds pretty cheesy describing how we were sitting on the second story, with the window wide open (in the middle of the beautiful February weather) greeting perfect strangers and counting the number of women we saw wearing tights as pants. We weren't really even talking about the game, we were just sitting there, relaxing and laughing.

People like to sum up a sports season by counting the number of wins and losses, points and rebounds, but if you've ever played a sport you know that it is about more than that. Those times where you can sit around and laugh with your teammates off the court are just as crucial to making the three-point shots during the second quarter. The statistics might tell you the basics, but they're only an outline. The fun we had with the butt-slapping, animal sounds, and bathroom references were what allowed us to encourage each other during games and to play as a team.

Tonight was the first round of our IHSA Class 2A regional playoff; we faced St. Joseph-Ogden, the host team. It was a "loser-goes-home" situation and potentially our last game of the season. For weeks we had been asking ourselves if we could do it, and when we first stepped on to that court nerves were high. The gym was way too hot for our liking, and there was a huge crowd of boys who had nothing better to do on a Tuesday night than to pretend they were the Orange Krush. But, within minutes it was a back-and-forth game that was keeping us within two points of St. Joe.

We don't normally play many games against full-court hard man-to-man defenses, and only a few days before we had learned completely new plays. Our guards were being hassled, and one small slip-up meant we would fall farther and farther behind. Miraculously, we were able to keep our heads on straight. There are no statistics to report how calm we were able to stay when the defense was so strong from St. Joe, but we worked.

I think it's safe to say that almost any sport you play is at least 50 percent mental. When you mess up, when the crowd is against you, when nothing seems to be in your favor, it's hard to keep up your high spirits, and that's the trap that we fell into at the end of the second quarter. It's that one steal the other team gets that weakens you in the first place, and they slowly chisel away at your morale. Somehow we drifted away by 16 points. Our small Uni cheering section was doing the best they could, but we were getting ourselves into a rut.

The halftime was a crucial moment. We went back into the locker room down 31-19 and switched back into our relaxed, fun, "eating-dinner-at-Za's" attitude. We talked about home-court advantage and how certain fouls were actually amazing blocks. We complimented each other's performances, and when the coaches came in we sat back and listened to their plan of action.

Somehow, after halftime, that 12-point difference became a six-point difference, and then a four-point difference. In the last four minutes we gained momentum. Assistant Director Sue Kovacs and music teacher/subbie boys coach Rick Murphy, accompanied by the Uni High parents, were stomping their feet and cheering. It should have been our game.

It seemed like the referees hated us. I don't know what we did exactly but as the game became closer and closer the calls started turning against us and morale started dragging down. We were getting fouls called against us that made the crowd stand up in rage, and in an effort not to get those fouls again we started playing lightly. It wasn't long before everyone had four fouls and we were in double-bonus.

We wanted it so badly, but jump balls were being called shooting fouls, and with 35 seconds remaining we rebounded on a one-and-one free throw and freshman Jamie Blue made a three-pointer to cut St. Joe's lead to just two points, 55-53. After the Spartans made another free throw, we trailed 56-53. With 12 seconds left we had the ball again and a chance to tie it. We were trying and we were pushing, but in the end they came out on top.

The majority of that game can't be said in numbers and statistics. How can you distinguish what's listed as a foul from what the crowd saw as a charge? How can any numbers represent the hope that everyone had? I literally had my fingers crossed. I know that it is my senior year and it was my last game of the season. I am supposed to be sad that it's over, but honestly, I am happy with how it ended. We played a good game, and maybe the numbers don't show it, but in my opinion we're as good as the team that beat us and advanced to play No. 1 seed St. Thomas More in Thursday's regional title game.

I will miss this team. I think I actually got along with everyone pretty well. We laughed a lot, and did things like buy bright pink socks and eat way too much Chinese food before basketball games. Nonetheless I think the season has been a success and the time I spent with everyone on and off the court has allowed for a valuable three and a half months.