Tonight was amazing! I had the pleasure of photographing the CIAC Class LL State Championship at Mohegan Sun. I love all my teams in Middlesex County and whether the kids know it or not, I really enjoy shooting their games, all of them. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am recovering from back surgery and missed most of the fall and winter season. Believe me, I missed you guys!

In the last few years, I will do anything to shoot a lacrosse or soccer game. In the 1980's, I lived for basketball. The game was a little different back then and then there was Mike Grenier, a Coginchaug guard who had more fast breaks than anyone around at the time and I love shooting fast breaks! Vin Baker was playing then too! Call me crazy, but I liked Mike! I believe Mike is a father of two, and runs Uncle Bob's Gardens on Route 66 in Middlefield.

March 19, 2010, mark it on your calendar people, I wanted to shoot basketball! My alma mater, Mercy High School made it all the way to the State Championship!

I arrived at 8:05 p.m. quickly checked the scoreboard, Mercy was down, but not for long. I grabbed a seat, a perfect spot on the floor directly under the hoop. You can't beat those courtside seats...although I am getting a little too old to sit on the floor. And if you must know, I am a member of Mercy's Class of 1977. Seventy-seven, seventy-seven, 77 will be heaven! Those were the days! Thirty-three years and counting girls!

Heaven indeed! Mercy, has been classified in the local sports world as the underdog in this matchup against powerhouse Norwich Free Academy. This is one for the history books girls and Maura, Danielle, Mallory, Alyssa, Amy-Lynn, Amber, Hunter, Kristen, Monica, Sadie, Maria, Sheena, Cassie and Meghan, carry your heads high, ya done good!

I had to leave just before the end of the third period and maybe if I stayed, maybe that one extra Mercy girl cheering them on would have helped.

But this is the best part for me! Wednesday afternoon, the CIAC held a basketball state championship luncheon at the Mohegan Sun. All eight teams were there. Class S - Portland vs. St. Paul of Bristol, Class M - Brookfield vs. Kolbe, Class L - Wethersfield vs. Hillhouse and Class LL Mercy vs. Norwich. Good luck Portland Highlanders!!!!

This was quite the affair! I was sitting at one of the designated tables for the media and heard a conversation between Paul Nichols, Press sports reporter and Bristol Press sports writer, Paul Angilly. I over heard Angilly say it was too bad that CIAC couldn't put on a spread like this for the boys. No question about it, it was top shelf...we had salad, chicken, roasted potatoes, carrots, and chocolate cake. Members of the CIAC were there, Tribe Elders from the Mohegan Reservation and guest speaker, Kara Lawson, a guard for the CT Sun . Each team selected one player to talk about their team. Senior, Mallory Perry spoke for Mercy, she was the perfect choice, her Mom Tanya is a former Mercy Hoopster, Class of 1978! Yah Tanya I know '78, '78, '78 is G R E A T! ugg...

Sorry, but when I heard the boys I got defensive. It is about time! Back in '83, Amy Stanisiewski, a Mercy senior scored 1,000 points and was heading to play Division 1 basketball at URI and it may have been on a sports scholarship. I shot a picture of Amy for Mercy and it ran in the Press, in the social news section. Amy was very social, but she scored ONE THOUSAND points! Definitely worthy of the sports section.

So, don't ask me the score, it doesn't really matter any more.

GO TIGERS!

THANKS FOR A GREAT GAME...AND FOR THOSE WHO MUST KNOW, FINAL SCORE 50-47!

I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it. ~Author Unknown