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  • Northridge's Nate Ritchie eyes the basket as he splits a pair of Wawasee defenders Saturday night. DAVID VANTRESS

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February 9, 2012

Sometimes it’s more than a game

By DAVID VANTRESS THE GOSHEN NEWS

GOSHEN — Most of the time, the phrase, “It’s only a game” applies to sports – especially the high school variety.

But there are exceptions. And last night’s Northridge-Wawasee boys basketball game in Middlebury is one of them.



We Hoosiers often brag about the special place basketball holds to us, and if you want to argue that point, just come out to a an Indiana high school gym on a Friday or Saturday night, take in the atmosphere, and see what we’re talking about.

High school sports has a special ability to bring a community together. And — on rare, special occasions — two communities.

Last Saturday night, Northridge and Wawasee came together not just to battle it out on the court, but to help a Northridge middle schooler battle a foe that dwarfs any athletic competitor: Cancer.

A number of fundraisers were held in conjunction with the game, and when all was said and done, initial reports are that more than $20,000 was raised to help Northridge middle schooler — and basketball player — Sam Grewe and his family in this very important fight. And Wawasee made a substantial contribution to the fund. Kudos to them for pitching in to help out.



The atmosphere at the game was like a sectional final: Yes, it was that loud, that raucous, that spirited.

But it was also a very different kind of atmosphere: Indiana basketball games are famous for the all-in-good-fun banter back and forth between student sections, and between student sections and opposing players on the floor.

We’ve all seen it: “You can’t do that” for a traveling call; “You got swatted” for a blocked shot; “Why so quiet?” when a team gets out to a big lead; and my personal favorite, “Drive home safely” when a visiting team is losing in the final seconds.

Saturday night at Northridge, there was virtually none of that. But there were other chants, including “Sam Strong” and “Beat Cancer.”

Many of the Northridge fans were decked out in special yellow shirts for the occasion, and it was a special night for a special cause.

It was special to be a part of, if even from the periphery, as I was there to chronicle the events, take it all in, and report on it.



I’ve been doing this job for a long time, and once in a great while, a night like this one comes along – a chance for sports to break out of the “toy department” designation and actually be a catalyst for something bigger and better.

Years from now, the Raider and Warrior players will look back at this game, and very few of them will remember the score. But they’ll smile to each other and say, “Hey, remember that game where we stood up for Sam? That was really something special, wasn’t it?”

Yes, it was.

The score of Saturday night’s game? Not all that important, which is why I’m just now getting to it: The Raiders won, 64-60.

But in reality, there was just one loser at Northridge Saturday night: Cancer.

Contact sports editor David Vantress at 533-2151, ext. 325 or by email at david.vantress@goshennews.com.

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