My name is Isaac Middleton and I'm going to tell you a story about my first organized basketball game. It was a very long game and I thought it would never end. I also played the game of my life and it still was not enough. The game was played at the Bedford YMCA. The Knicks basketball team organized the league and the league was called the Junior Knicks. My team was called the Raging Raptors and we were playing theIntermidiate School.72 Tigers. Now our team was very small. Our ages ranged from 12-14 and their heights ranged from 4'6 to 5'6 while our opponents ranged from 5'0 to 5'11. We were already intimidated by there size alone but we would not let our hard work and practice go to waste. The game was split into 10-minute halves. The starting lineup was announced and I was appointed to start at point guard.

The game started and the Tigers showed they were out to prove a point. They went on a 17-0 run and obviously our size played a very important factor. I wouldn't let that bother me. I finally stopped passing the ball and took control. I scored the next 7 points and I assisted on 3 baskets in the first half. Unfortunately, for every basket that I scored, the Tigers had a response basket. The half ended and the score was 10 to 31. Our team was obviously going to be beat and we could do nothing about it. So what I chose to do was to go after my personal stats. The second half began and I came out smoking. I hit a three and came slashing to the basket. I also did very well on defense getting 4 blocks and 3 steals. The game ended and the score was 23 to 61. I had 17 points, 3 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. It was the best personal game I've had but the worst team performance I've had.

My first basketball game made me realize that no matter how much you practice, work out or train, there will always be a team that is better than you. Sometimes you can have the best game of your life but since basketball is a team sport, your team may still lose. I learned how to be a team leader from that game and how to try to take control when my team needs me the most. Even though we were blown away, I never once got mad at my team because of missed shots or anything like that. I learned a lot of self-control. I have taken a lot from this one game alone and I hope that the things that I have learned can benefit me off the court.

Read more about basketball at