It was a great third season for Gremlins in League IV.53 with similarities of the first two seasons. Once again Gremlins started slowly and had to battle through early season adversity.
After starting 1-3 and 3-4 the first two seasons, Gremlins started this season 3-3. Just like the previous 2 seasons the Gremlin players were seen walking off the court with sad faces and their heads handing down. The locker room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Once again the Gremlins coach called a special team meeting to be sure that everyone was on the same page. Gremlins responded by winning 7 games in a row including several cup wins.
Right after the All-Star break Gremlins lost a few heart-breakers that they could have won. There were 2 losses in OT and 1 loss by 1 point. They also had their long cup run of 9 games come to an end. At that point Gremlins fell 2 games behind The Americans in the standings. Gremlins had to win all 5 of their remaining games to have any chance of winning the Big 8.
The playoff race came down to the last day of the regular season. Gremlins were in 2nd place and had to beat The Americans in the biggest game of the regular season in the Big 8 or risk ending up in 3rd place. Gremlins were able to beat The Americans in front of the home crowd to clinch 1st place on the last day of the regular season. Their loyal fans gave them a long standing ovation reminiscent of last season.
In Round 1 of the playoffs Gremlins were matched against the unpredictable Tsunami. Gremlins played some good defense and won the game 105-67.
In the Semi-finals Gremlins had a rematch against their playoff opponent from the previous 2 seasons, Skillz That Killz. Like last season Gremlins had the home court in their favor. That might have been the difference as Gremlins hung on to win the game 100-97. Their loyal fans gave them a long standing ovation for making it to the Finals for the first time in this league.
In the Finals Gremlins were matched up against Doggy Double G. Doggy had some valuable finals experience in this league that Gremlins did not have.
In Game 1 Gremlins played well and had a chance to tie the game in regulation. Their 21 year-old PG Goodall missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Gremlins came up short 96-93. Goodall was crying thinking that he had let his team down, but not too many 21 year olds get to take the biggest shot of a championship game.
In Game 2 Gremlins were down 17 points at halftime but rallied in the 2nd half. The game was tied with 21 seconds left when Gremlins scored the last 7 points to win 93-86. Once again their loyal fans gave them a long standing ovation knowing that it was their last home game of the season.
In Game 3 Gremlins came out swinging and were up 9 points at halftime but Doggy rallied in the 2nd half. Gremlins were down by 1 point late in the game when center Ramos scored a basket with 2 seconds left. It looked like Gremlins were going to win the game and the championship. Doggy called time out to set up a play and scored the winning basket as the buzzer sounded to win 106-105.
Doggy players and their fans were ecstatic for such a thrilling end to another great finals game and a league championship. Gremlins on the other hand were crying in total disbelief. They had come to within 1 second of winning the game and the championship.
Gremlins played their hearts out but it was not enough. Tears of joy and sadness filled the Gremlin locker room knowing that they all did their very best.
A group of loyal Gremlin fans gathered at the airport to welcome home the team and congratulate them on their great season. Hopefully next season will be even better for the entire Gremlin organization and their fans.