SOIS faculty/alumni team defeat Sabers varsity team, 55-54, for first victory since 2003
“You know, this was the first time I’ve ever been on the winning side in this game,” Honda remarked after the game. “The Fossils always beat the varsity team back when I was a Sabers player in the 1990s. The teachers back then, like Mr. Combes, Mr. Pekin, Mr. Tromburg, Mr. Berg, Mr. Searle, Mr. Zulauf, Coach Bonnette, Coach Heimer, those guys could really ball. Then, once I joined the Fossils team about 15 years ago, all those guys moved away and Heimer got old, and the varsity have always won. So, I’ve always been on the losing end.”
Until Wednesday night.
by 2 with 4.3 seconds left.
After a timeout, the Fossils inbounded the ball in their front court. Honda, the Sabers legendary former point guard, found himself with the ball and surrounded by varsity defenders, leaving him no choice but to throw up a deep and desperate runner as time expired. When the 3-point attempt went through the net as the buzzer sounded, the Fossils players and several fans mobbed Honda, no longer a Fossils-Sabers game loser. (Video below.)
In addition to Uenoya’s stellar performance, former Sabers player and current SIS math teacher, Ryuhei Okamoto, poured in 12 points, and new SOIS PE teacher and basketball novice, Djordje Nikolic, contributed 9 points. OIS head of school Bill Kralovec added 6 points in his Fossils farewell. Parent Mike Yamamoto scored 2 points and pulled down 6 rebounds.
Other Fossils players were SIS English teacher Rodney Ray, OIS principal Kurt Mecklem, and new SIS science teacher and basketball coach Akira Morioka.
The embarrassing loss left the varsity players in a state of disbelief, wondering what could have been, what should have been.
But on this particular night, Makoto Honda got a chance recapture some past glory of the SOIS gym, reminding us all that: Once a Saber, always a Saber.