The Yellow Sucker Game was held Friday night in Ellsinore with the host Redbirds trying to keep the Fish Trophy from their cross-county rivals and even the series in the process.
Friday nights in the winter mean high school basketball across the region.
Having moved to the news side of the newspaper after nearly 20 years in sports, I spent Friday night pushing a cart around area stores following my wife Jennifer. She was in pursuit of a finishing touch for the wreath she was making. Not being able to drive herself due to a medical issue, I was along for the ride.
We finally found something suitable, got some other things we needed and dinner. Watched a movie and went to sleep at a decent hour. After a long week of work, it was a nice, quiet Friday night while Van Buren was taking back the Fish Trophy with a 71-61 win over East Carter.
Two weeks earlier I got her out to a basketball game for Poplar Bluff's home opener.
Having been a 'basketball widow' for the past 14 years, my wife has a kind of disdain for the game on several levels.
For one, whenever she came to a game that I was covering she would have to sit alone since my office desk was the court. Imagine going to work with your spouse and just watching what they do all day -- boring.
In those rare occasions she did attend, usually to drive so I could write the story on the way home, she tended to sit in the front rows and may look at her phone more than the action. Sometimes that action got a little too close and it became a running joke that the ball seemed to be attracted to her.
When asked to recall any basketball game memories her answer was a question, "the last one?"
Then, suddenly, "the Showdown one."
The Poplar Bluff Showdown, like the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, is a post-Christmas tradition for many families every year. For us it meant driving back from St. Louis each Christmas night because I had to work the next day. Jennifer usually took a co-worker to the opening night of the Showdown and wouldn't see me until three days later. Most of our New Year's Eves ended with me falling asleep hours before midnight.
In 2014, she decided to attend the championship with the Mules playing Union City, Tennessee. Now the host had been 1-6 in championship games over the previous 27 years, winning the 2004 title the season Poplar Bluff won the first of two state championships.
Jennifer, PBHS Class of 1990, couldn't remember any of those games.
The team the Mules were playing on this night had knocked off two defending state champions to reach the final and quickly built a 10-point lead against the Mules. Poplar Bluff trimmed the deficit to six to start the fourth quarter but still trailed by five with under two minutes left. A steal and last-second layup gave the Mules their only lead of the game for a thrilling 52-50 win.
Jennifer had tears in her eyes after the game.
She has no idea what a pick-and-roll or a one-and-one is, but she got caught up in the drama and excitement of the moment.
This winter try to enjoy basketball from Jennifer's point of view.
Don't worry about the foul count (it doesn't mean one team is getting cheated), or if the scoreboard has the wrong score (the scorebook keeps the score, the scoreboard keeps the time). After rebounds don't yell "over the back" (there's no such foul) and leave the officials alone (refereeing is a second job, if you think you can do better, sign up to do it). Don't get caught up in coaching decisions (they see the players practice and have scouted the opponent more than you have) and remember that the players are just teenagers playing a game.
Tom Hoover, who could be found in a gym every night before his death in September, always told kids, "Remember, five or 10 years from now nobody will remember who won or lost, but they will remember how you acted."
That goes for the adults -- enjoy the game and enjoy the time with your family.
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Brian Rosener is the editor of the Daily American Republic. He took over scorekeeping duties for Hoover at Mules basketball games this season.