Warriors, point guard Camel source for inspiration
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Congress could take a lesson from the Arlee Warriors. Not only did Arlee’s boys basketball team cap off a winning season with a third-place finish at the Class C state tournament last weekend, they did it with a spirit of teamwork not often seen in any sport, let alone high school-level basketball.
You need look no further than Zack Camel for proof of that. The senior point guard tallied 269 assists on the season, shattering the previous state record of 230 set in 1994-95 by a Fairfield hoopster. That means Camel had at least 269 chances to score, but he passed the ball to a teammate instead. Now that’s “reaching across the aisle.”
And he still managed to finish the year as one of the team’s top scorers.
With the likes of Rocky Lewis, Christian Haynes, Josh Reed and Justin Adams backing up Camel, the Warriors had the depth to challenge all comers at the state level. As the No. 2 seed from the Western C, Arlee had to face defending state champion Fairview in a state quarterfinal Thursday. Not only was Fairview one of two still-undefeated teams in the state, but the Warriors from the northeast hadn’t lost in 41 games. Arlee’s Warriors quickly changed that, handing Fairview a 63-53 loss.
Friday wasn’t as fruitful for the Arlee boys, who fell to Roy-Winifred — the only other undefeated team left — in the semifinal round. It was a heartbreaker for Camel and his teammates, who had set their sights on a state championship early in the season. Many might have thrown in the towel after such a crushing loss, but they don’t call these boys the Warriors for nothing.
After trampling the Western C’s No. 1-seeded Victor Saturday morning in a loser-out contest, Arlee turned around and showed Fairview that first loss was no joke. The Warriors beat the Northern C squad 51-49, handing Fairview its second loss of 43 games. The win meant a third-place trophy would come home with the Arlee players.
While not the award they hoped to claim, it’s certainly one they can carry with pride.
And for Camel, it’s hard evidence that putting his team first leads to success. Along with the rest of the Warrior squad, we can all take a lesson from his performance.
Now, if we could just get Congress to play some hoops …
