Day 362/365

     Yesterday/Saturday/day 362 I shot a high school girls basketball state championship game down at Michigan State University's Breslin Center in East Lansing. I shot plenty of photos during and after the game, but this one was by far my favorite. Nouvel Catholic Central unfortunately lost, but not for lack of trying. This team's been one of my favorites to photograph during this basketball season. They've given their all in every single game of theirs that I've seen, and Saturday's was no different. A senior and standout on the team is also the daughter of the team's head coach, so I knew going into this game that their reaction would be the one to watch for. The coach went and consoled every single member of her team, but those first few seconds following the final buzzer were just for her and her daughter. It was quite a moment to witness.

Day 322/365

     Last night/day 322 I got to shoot my first ever college/Big Ten/NCAA basketball game. It was the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State women's basketball matchup, and each team had a former local high school standout. #24 Jenny Ryan who now plays for U of M is a graduate of Saginaw's Nouvel Catholic Central, and MSU's #52 Becca Mills is a graduate of Midland Dow. It was a great game to shoot, with two pretty good teams that made everything interesting. Not to mention the lighting in the arena was fantastic. It'll be hard switching back to high school basketball, but it was an awesome experience all the same. Hopefully I'll get to shoot another one soon!

Day 291/365

 

     On Friday/day 291 I got to cover the biggest basketball rivalry in Saginaw, and quite possibly the biggest in the state as well: Saginaw High vs. Arthur Hill. It. Was. Insane. At least 1,600 people packed into Arthur Hill's gym, and local celebrities like Michigan State's basketball coach Tom Izzo and Saginaw High alumni/Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley were in attendance. It's the showdown of the season, and it was easy to see why. 

     I've loved basketball for a long time. I've been to enough games and played it enough times that I've seen amazing plays made by amazing athletes. Most, if not all, of those pale in comparison to the moves I saw in this game. Incredible doesn't seem to to them justice. 

    It did get a bit dicey towards the end of the game. Both schools are in the heart of the inner city of Saginaw, where there are high crime rates and strong gang activity. Metal detectors are built into the entrance of both schools and anyone who set off Arthur Hill's Friday night was searched. Towards the end of the game, a few technicals were called on Saginaw High, and a few players from both teams almost came to blows over it. This resulted in the majority of the people in attendance trying to rush the court. Security and the police managed to keep them at bay for the most part. I ended up with an elbow to the face and my body twisted in two different directions, but it could've been much worse all things considered. All in all though, it was a great game, and made for a great night.