Seven reasons why this season is seventh heaven

Seven reasons why these are the best weeks of the prep sports year.

No. 1: There’s a basketball game every night.

You a hoop junkie? Well, there’s a buffet of choices – and we all know how Spokane loves buffets.

Appetizers such as district playoffs – don’t miss the Northeast and Southeast Bs if you can help it. Entrees such as the big-school regionals. And desserts in the form of the state tournaments, from the Bs in Spokane to the two (1A and 2A) in Yakima, to the big schools in Tacoma.

No. 2: Dreams become reality. Or not.

Last weekend in Tacoma, there were two guys on a wrestling mat. Both had dreamt for weeks, months, years of winning a state title. They grappled. It ended. One still had the dream, the other didn’t.

It doesn’t matter who. The scenario played over and over and over again. Emotion, effort, sweat, promise and those dreams all are left on the mat.

No. 3: Where did they come from?

Every year there’s a basketball team that starts the season slowly. Maybe some key players turn out late. Maybe there were a couple of small injuries. Maybe two or three seniors needed to step up.

Then everything starts to come together.

A late regular-season run earns a playoff spot. Maybe there’s a huge shot or key steal along the way.

Whatever the reason, the playoff run starts with an upset win, then another, and, unbelievably, a state berth is secured.

Sooner or later the run ends. The loss is painful at first, tears often flow.

But time passes, emotions wane and the memories are celebrated. It was the best three weeks.

No. 4: Taking out a second mortgage.

It isn’t cheap to follow the hometown team in the playoffs. Tickets cost more, travel is a given and feeding the younger kids at Arby’s can dent the wallet. But it has to be done. The camera has to be filled with videotape.

Twenty years from now, when Sally grabs the tape to throw in the ancient VCR so she won’t miss Survivor 143, Whidbey Island, she’ll thank you.

No. 5: The student section is the place to be.

As each game grows in importance, the students – even the kid who wouldn’t know a crossover from a cross stitch – expand their repertoire of cheers, catcalls and comedy.

The noise when the opponent is at the free-throw line grows. The groans following a poor play multiply. The screams of joy expand to fill the gym as the clock winds down in a win.

As the games continue, this growth is exponential. The students become part of the game. They become part of the community. And the games become an even bigger part of the high school experience.

No. 6: The play’s the thing.

Playoff hoops are better. The teams are from the top of the leagues. The stars are brighter. The supporting players are more supporting. The coaches are better dressed. The officials are infallible.

Then there’s the pressure. It’s been racheted up a notch as well. It reveals flaws, hones character and builds confidence.

No. 7: It’s almost over.

Winter, that’s what’s almost over. After months and months of driving through 8-foot high snowdrifts, over ice-encrusted roads just to slip getting out of the Honda, it’s about time the sun came out. This has been the longest, snowiest, coldest winter in memory.

OK, so that paragraph was written last year or the year before.

But don’t worry, spring sports will start in a couple of weeks.

That’s when it will snow.