Basketball season came and went so quick and it is a bummer because it is the best! It was Thatcher's second year playing at the PYC and Sam's fourth!
Evaluations.
I'm guessing he said, "you are really tall!"
Sports with evaluations are tricky. It becomes a draft so there is a chance you don't get the coach you want or the teammates or parents for that matter. You can't help but think that if your kid scores low in evals that they get a better chance of getting a coach that knows how they really play and a coach that wants your kid. Each time Sam made a basket in the evaluations I was like, gulp, we aren't going to get Coach Jules!
Thatcher was drafted to a mostly Peabody team with his buddy Maddox's dad as the coach.
And we somehow got lucky enough to have Sam get on Coach Jules' team for the FIFTH year in a row since she has played basketball with Jules since kindergarten starting at the YMCA.
Ready for his first game of the season which was delayed by over a month due to the Thomas Fire. Everything shut down in December with air quality so bad you couldn't play any sports.
Sam ready for her first game.
These two were on separate teams this year.
And these two have yet to be on the same basketball team.
Todd did a lot of coaching this year because Coach Jules was also coaching All Star soccer at the same time. Todd's had to go up against Coach Sam who is also an amazing coach.
Sam and Rio have always played basketball on the same team and they were both nervous to go up against each other.
Friends on and off the court. And Sam's face would get this red after every single game!
Grandma and Papa Ward came to cheer these two on.
After-game ice cream.
Sam's team won 8 out of their 11 games and took home the championship!
Samantha scored 89 points this season!!!! Her first game of the season she scored 20 points. Basketball is definitely Sam's sport.
Thatcher scored 33 points this season and his team won as many as they lost.
Teammates since kindergarten.
The championship game was played against Sam's soccer teammate Cecilia. Love these two athletes. They play super hard on the court. Sam's soccer skills improve during basketball season because she becomes twice as aggressive. It is so fun to watch!
There are a handful of coaches our kids have had that have made such a positive impact and Coach Jules is at the top of the list.
Sam's fan club. I'm digging Stella's fur.
After championship game dinner at Islands.
Topping it off with frozen yogurt.
She carried this trophy around like it was an Oscar.
It might even make an appearance in the Lovin' Spoonful slide show if they ever update that thing.
End of the season party for the Warriors.
Holley and Cam sent us this when they were in town and asked us to join them for breakfast. Instead, we had basketball...
Here are some action shots from the season. The way Sam moves up and down the court and then her wild shots that sink into the basket are so fun to watch. Somehow I missed getting a single basket on video of Thatcher but I love his confidence when he played point guard and his cheesy smile at all times.
