Yesterday's disappointing loss for Monessen in the PIAA Class AA semifinals reminded me of a statement Greyhound coach Joe Salvino said to me many years ago.
"At the end of the season, only one team wins its final game," Salvino said.
That's an unfortunate hard fact of the playoffs in any sport.
Unless your team wins it all, it will lose its final game. And in many cases, as it was with Monessen last night, it is tough to have a loss be the final chapter on a team's season.
After the 64-61 loss to Greensburg Central Catholic, the passionate Salvino took one last chance to "yell" at his players.
He told the disconsolate Greyhounds that he refused to let one game -- one loss -- be the focal point of what was a magical campaign.
He implored his players to keep their heads up and realize what they had accomplished over the course of the season.
And he was correct.
The Greyhounds played 29 games, winning 26 and capturing a WPIAL Class AA title.
They won 21 games in a row.
Along the way they defeated many solid teams, including some good Class AAAA schools.
They beat the best programs AA had to offer.
And they did all of this while being a Class A-size school "playing up."
"I can't complain about a season because you lose one game," Salvino said in a quiet dressing room. "I understand it was to get to the state championship game. But one loss can't deter what we did. These kids have given this town and the school everything they have. To me, that determines what is a successful season and what is not.
"We did not lose a game since Dec. 29. I mean, we won 21 games in a row and that's an entire season for most schools."
Salvino made note of the overflow crowd at the Gateway High gymnasium and said, "Where else can you find so many people in one area showing up to support a group of kids?" he asked aloud. "These kids have done their community, their school and their families proud."
When you have a proud program with great tradition, there are very few moral victories found in defeat.
Salvino knows that. But he also knows that the 2010-11 Greyhounds, while coming up short in an effort to win a state title, did not come up short in carrying on a proud tradition.
"As a coach, you are disappointed," he said. "But I'm not disappointed for me because I know those kids gave me everything they had. I'm disappointed for them.
"They see themselves as failures right now because they didn't reach the state title game. But they did more than some of the greatest teams this school has ever produced did. And they will be remembered for that."
He paused for a moment and added, "It was a hell of a game. We just came up short, but I will look back on this as one of the best years I've ever had as a coach because of these kids."
He then turned his attention to his seniors -- Nick Bolias, Cam Johnson, Jeff Francia, Trae Cook, Brady Kunsa and Josh Chaussinand -- and said it is a tough group to see go.
"You always hate to say good-bye to your seniors, but this group was a little more special than some others," Salvino said. "I watched these kids grow and blossom. We challenged them every single day and they did more than most expected them to do.
"We call basketball a game, but in true reality it's life. You go through the good times and the bad times and you learn."
And the Greyhounds learned that only one team wins its final game of the season in the playoffs.
"These kids did everything they possibly could have done," Salvino said. "If you watched that game and did not enjoy what you saw, then you're not a basketball fan. That game there was a fantastic game."
And the Greyhounds gave their fans a fantastic season to remember.
