Linton and Bloomfield left wondering what might have been

Linton sophomore Braden Walters brings the ball up while being guarded by Jaden Johnson Saturday. Photo by Shad Cox

Getting use to small town life involves expecting firetrucks to escort a team bus out to a big game. That happen Friday morning when two firetrucks and four police cars gave the Linton Miners a big sendoff to the Southridge Regional. In Indianapolis, if that many police cars are in one spot it means there is an active shooter situation.

What was noticeable Saturday though was that the firetrucks and police cars did not welcome the team back after its loss to Providence. Losing in the regional semifinal on Saturday afternoon is the most anticlimactic finish a team can have. The games become buried in the results of the night games and Big 10 Tournament.

Bloomfield fell too, losing to Jac-Cen-Del in the Martinsville Regional. It was a tough loss but I think even the most diehard fans of the Cardinals knew that a run to Indianapolis was unlikely with so many key players out.

Prior to the season, Bloomfield was optimistic they would be fully healthy come sectionals. As the months turned it became apparent that would not be the case. Heck, more injuries came up.

To Bloomfield’s credit, they never let injuries define their season. With three players from last year’s roster out, Bloomfield got payback on North Central to win sectionals.

The questions will exist though. If this team was healthy, would they have won this regional? Perhaps their first state title in school history?

An opposing coach told me he ­thought Bloomfield would end up playing in the fieldhouse at Indy. That would have been an escort of 10 firetrucks.

Baylin Graf ended up being 57 points away from breaking the school record. Somehow, I have not heard much news on his college recruitment. Somebody is getting a great player if they want him.

I will miss their seniors as they were a close-knit group. Christopher Royal once called me the “Goat” and he was not referring to the farm animal.

I hope the 2021-22 iteration of the Cardinals can get the respect they deserve locally. Winning a share of SWIAC with Linton and North Daviess in the conference is a tough feat. They didn’t reach the state title game like the 1998 and 2016 teams but they might be just as good.

While it is easy to see how Bloomfield’s postseason could have been different, Linton is more difficult to assess. It was not until the final seconds of Saturday’s game before Providence fans truly felt they were going to win.

I ran into a Providence fan after the game and asked him if he was surprised the Pioneers won. His response was mixed because he knew they had a chance. However, he was taken back by how Linton had an edge of at least a 15 pounds of muscle at every position yet still lost.

It’s a three-year run of frustrating regionals for Linton. The 2020 regional was canceled and in both 2021 and this year it truly felt Linton was the better team. It just did not win.

Linton played a schedule that was beyond difficult but the postseason atmosphere is not something they can be prepared for in November. Given that Linton is a younger team, that atmosphere and pressure of the moment leads to mistakes. Shots that would have been easy buckets a month ago bounced off the rim Saturday. Turnovers I never saw in regular season occurred too.

Providence was far from perfect Saturday but Linton tends to play at a slow pace and limit the number of possessions teams can have. It helps the Miners keep their starters on the floor but the result of a slow pace is typically a close game where every foul call and free throw matters. That makes the game closer to a coin flip. If you play three coin flip games in a postseason you will lose at least once.

Locally, it feels Linton gets more attention for its losses than its victories. Winning 20 games a year for a decade will do that. The Miners have become the Western Indiana small school version of Duke University and few want to cheer for Duke. When the Miners fall it’s time to rush the court.

Opposing fans say Linton “recruits” yet other county schools have athletes who live outside of their school districts too. For whatever reason, it plays into the narrative of everyone outside Stockton Township wants to see Linton lose.

I’ve even been told that Linton fans are “numb” to all of its success. It’s why I feel Linton typically has a smaller crowd than its opponent at neutral site games like it played Saturday.

It’s a shame because you never know how many chances for a title run a school will get. Despite losing, Linton should have returned with a convoy of firetrucks like it did when it left Friday. A successful season should never end with dejection or apathy.

Linton will be back next year as Drew Smith is the main senior who will depart. He will attend Indiana State as I can think of three programs in Terre Haute that should be asking and begging him to walk-on to their team.

For now, Linton and Bloomfield basketball are left wondering what might have been if they got a couple breaks or avoided a few setbacks. That is the final and most difficult part of tournament basketball.