Absolutely no Shame in 3rd. And Three? It's the magic number.

So that was the end of our team's basketball season. Having a total record of 3-4 but winning in the battle for 3rd place, it was a fine ending. I was disappointed, though, that only seven of us were able to play on this last game. At least it meant, more Gatorade for those of us who showed up. Unsurprisingly, I scored eight points in this last game. We zoomed to an early lead at the start. They slowly climbed back in the 4th quarter. Under two minutes left, it could have been anybody's game. My missed free throws almost cost the game, but I redeemed myself right after by cleanly stealing the ball on the other end. Two more free throws from our team sealed the five-point victory.

Lots of lessons learned, of course. First is the fact that I'm past the prime of my basketball life. The kids are taking over. Second, I still suck at making free throws. I made none this season, out of around 7 or 8 attempts. A little digression first. When I was in grade 5 or 6, I was one of the most accurate free-throw shooters in my class. It was enough to split a 100 peso second prize in one of our school family days. Getting back to the discussion, I also learned that I can't run around for more than 10 minutes tops. To add to that, I'm slow to get back on transition defense. I mean, if I was coaching the team from the bench and I saw myself play that kind of defense, I'd bench my lazy ass. Third, and very appropriate, is that I still have a decent 3-pt shot. I wouldn't say I'm a deadshot and that it's accurate. It's more of the fact that I'm confident enough to know that I can drill it from that range. Last is the sad fact that I haven't grown any taller since more than a decade ago. But then, I really can't do anything about that.

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I was coach-for-hire again for another women's team who actually had their own offensive playbook. I didn't really do much coaching, just a bit of cheering and motivating, really. The girls won third place too, and I think they had a lot of fun playing. Which is what's really important in these sportsfest games. To the girls of that team, if I had any part in making you believe more that you could win, then it's a job well done for me. Naks, drama!