UNRUH: ‘NOW WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LET GO AND MOVE ON’

Following the frustrating and disappointing loss to Castlewood on the second day of the State B Boys Basketball Tournament on Friday, head coach Austin Unruh told his discouraged team to take all the time they needed to emotionally process the loss and come out of the locker room ready to celebrate what has been a thrilling season.

And that’s what they’re doing.

Freeman Academy/Marion may not have reached its goal of finishing 2-1.

In fact, they didn’t even win a game; the Bearcats lost to Aberdeen Christian 72-65 early Saturday afternoon in their battle for seventh place.

But they can and are celebrating what has taken place on the hardwood this season: an 18-2 regular season record, a pair of fun wins in the Region 5B Tournament, and an exhilarating victory in the SoDak 16 that sent them to state.

They’re also saying goodbye.

“It’s not about about games; it’s not about the games,” Unruh said twice after a highly emotional gathering in the corner of Wachs Arena in the Barnett Center following the Bearcats’ loss on Saturday. “Obviously these would be tears of joy if things had gone differently, but these tears are mostly built on the passion that we share with each other, the love that we have and the recognition that this was the last time out there together. Now we have to learn to let go and move on.”

Watch for a full report on the Aberdeen Christian game later.