Talking Sports: When in Lincoln, find a fitting flick for motivation

LINCOLN, Neb. – It always seems when I’m in Lincoln or Omaha for a state basketball tournament, there’s some movie on the TV box that takes my attention away from this task.

When the Leyton Warriors were in Lincoln last year, my focus was divided between filling this space and watching the “Maltese Falcon” with Humphrey Bogart. The final line of that movie is Bogart’s, “That’s what dreams are made of.” It seemed appropriate to somehow incorporate that notion in with the Warriors own dreams.

Last month in Omaha, what could have been a more fitting flick to pop up on the tube than “Gladiator” on the eve of the state wrestling championships. Now the Golf Channel is playing “Caddyshack” as I wait out the final few hours before watching the Sidney Red Raiders begin their bid for a state championship here in Lincoln.

I don’t know how Caddyshack is in any way relatable to a basketball championship, but again my attention is divided. At least Caddyshack is about sports. I’ll keep watching and maybe I’ll hear something relatable to winning basketball.

“I like you Betty.”

“That’s Danny sir.”

Or maybe not.

Since the results of the Raiders efforts are on these pages, there’s no point in venturing any guesses as to the outcome. The Raiders have their hands full, that much is easy to say. Sidney knows what they’re up against. There is probably no team the Raiders are more familiar with than the Scottsbluff Bearcats. But I’m not about to try an pick a winner.

“Give me the Mets on three and I’ll take the Yankees even.”

The Peetz Bulldogs are playing too. They’re in against the Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds in Loveland, Colo. The way the ‘Dogs flew around the court at regionals to top previously unbeaten Arickaree/Woodlin, I’m very sorry I can’t be in two places at once. But all Peetz really knows it has another undefeated team to contend with and not much more. Records don’t scare Peetz. The ‘Dogs have already proved that.

“Ask Wang, he’ll tell you.”

The NSAA website is probably the best I’ve seen for laying out details of state tournaments. They have a history page too with the list of champions going back to 1911. I couldn’t help but spend an hour or so looking over the old state results pages.

How about that defensive effort by the Sidney Maroons when they kept the Grand Island Northwest Vikings to seven points in a second-round game of the 1916 boys’ basketball state championships. Imagine how dangerous they could have been in the finals if they could have scored more than five points themselves.

O.K., so I’ll make one prediction. I’ll bet Sidney and Peetz both score more than seven points in their opening-round game.

“Gambling is illegal at Bushwood sir.”

If only the Maroons could have caught a break or two that late winter day 99 years ago. For anyone to win a state championship – no matter how good they are – a few breaks are going to have to fall their way. Especially with the fields being so deep in both Nebraska Class B and Colorado 1A.

Sidney is appearing in the state tournament for the 39th time. That puts them 11th on the all-time list. Scottsbluff is tied for 13th with 38 appearances. Scottsbluff qualifies for state in bunches. The Bearcats went a record 21 consecutive years between 1920 and 1940. They qualified 14 straight times between 1943-1956. Sidney has won two championships, in 1945 and 1981. Peetz won it all in 1962.

Both the Raiders and Bulldogs have at least one thing in common. Both have to be considered dark horses to win a championship. But both are playing with house money. That’s really not a bad position to be playing from. But, of course they’re in it to win it just like everybody else. So who knows, maybe in a few days we’ll all be talking about a couple of underdogs who won a state championship.

“The crowd is on its feet here. It’s a real Cinderella story.”