RON MALY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE PARADE GO BY FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS ONE OF HIS WEBSITES.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

A Classic


By RON MALY
Let's see, I'm trying to think of the best word to describe the high school basketball game I just saw.
Some possibilities:
Sensational
Emotional
Barn-Burner
Thrilling
Heart-stopping
Fantastic
Incredible
Pulse-pounding
Oh, well, I guess I'll take the easy way out
and choose all of the above.
And go ahead. Call this one a classic.
Yes, sir, and yes, mam, Valley's 57-55 victory on Charley Crowley's dunk shot tonight with 3 seconds to play sent shock waves and shook the footings of Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.
Ecstasy on the Valley side of the big building. Agony on the North side, where it seemed most of Des Moines showed up to root for the Polar Bears to beat the huge school from the suburbs that folks in the city can't decide whether to despise or envy.
Crowley is a 6-foot 8-inch senior whose basket ripped he hearts out of those Polar Bear fans who came to the arena hoping to help their team win its 19th game of the season and advance to the class 4-A semifinal round.
Instead, it was Valley [pictured]--last season's 4-A champion--marching into a Friday afternoon matchup with Sioux City East, which eliminated Bettendorf in tonight's opening game.
Crowley probably couldn't believe he was so wide-open to accept the pass, soar upward and stuff the basketball downward for the shot that won the game.
Make no mistake, it was the game of Crowley's life and the winning basket was the field goal of his life.
It gave Valley its 10th straight victory and a 20-4 record in yet another banner season under the guidance of coach B.J. Windhorst.
Stay tuned. Things are just getting interesting