By Evan Foran

After a tight, competitive match against Kogutek, the Boys Staters from Roosevelt county had a new opponent for their new basketball match, a final boss fight in the basketball tournament: the U.S. Marines. In the end, the Boys Staters won with a slight lead, 21-17, but enough to bring the glory home.

During warmups, the Marine team was looking strong, preparing for 30 minutes to become familiar with each other’s team rhythm and skills. Led by team captain, Captain Eric Humer, the Marines were confidently shooting seamless shots and passes, making three-point shots with ease. Pedro’s Marine dunked so well he gave Michael Jordan a run for his money.

Although the Marines looked like they were going to mercilessly slaughter the Boys Staters, they took time to help some of the guys too. The marine from Pedro was seen teaching a Boys Stater to do a dunk and the pair ran attempt after attempt each time getting better. While the Marines are competitive and were going for the win, they were also out to make sure we all had a good time. 

When the game started, the Marines took a commanding lead, 10-5. While all of the Marine team played fantastically, Pedro’s Marine stole the show with some crazy moves. He dunked on the Boys Staters multiple times, even hanging on the basket, and also took a hit to the floor in order to make his shot. Also, Staff Sergeant Gilbert had a notable moment where he chucked the ball across the entire court so his teammates could score on the wide open basket.

Although the Marines were winning by double the points, the Boys Staters started to pick themselves back up, sometimes literally, and changed the tide. Hunter Balcom (#0063) from Roosevelt led this charge making perfect layups and three-point shots, even getting the Marines to trip and fall a few times with his quick moves and good offense. 

Roughly midway through the game, the score was tied 14-14, and the crowd chanted “Let’s go, Boys State” spawned by Roosevelt’s own Marine.

“Well, they’re my boys. I’m Roosevelt’s Marine, so I’m rooting for the boys to win today. Let’s go, Boys State!” said Sgt. Isaac Franco on why he was aiding Roosevelt, as opposed to the Marines. Everyone was in good spirits and the crowd started to have faith that the boys would pull through.

During the final minutes of the game, both teams were fully committed to winning, and the players were moving quickly trying to ensure points. As the clock hit zero, the boys from Roosevelt took the lead with a 17-21 finish, narrowly beating out the Marines.

The Marines put up a fantastic fight, but nothing could stop the Boys Staters from bringing the glory home for us. Maybe next year the Marines will win, but for now Boys State continues on the multi-year win streak against the Marines.