Looking back on Douglass-Bridge Creek hoops

There are moments as a sports writer when — no matter how well you do your job — you can’t fully capture in words the drama and excitement and passion and uniqueness of a moment.

Saturday evening at the Big House was one of those for me. Simply seeing the State Fair Arena nearly full for the Douglass-Bridge Creek Class 4A boys title game was fantastic. Hearing the crowd screaming with every call, every shot, every rebound was a blast.

Bridge Creek’s Ryan Spangler simply tried to put his team on his back and carry them to a championship. He played point guard, wing and center. Handled the ball, drove to the basket, posted up, went to the boards, blocked shots, dished out assists.

He gave everything he could to will the Bobcats to the win. By the second quarter, he was exhausted. After halftime, he didn’t even bother warming up with his team. Just watched them from the bench, waiting for the third quarter to start.

But in the end, Douglass was just too much. Marquis Buxton-Hill and the Jenkins twins battled with Spangler all night. It was big-time basketball, and incredibly fun to watch.

Douglass sophomore Stephen Clark was cold from deep, but he kept at it, going to the bucket and doing other little things to help his team. DeVonte Smith showed why he’s one of the most underrated players around, getting to the rim with ease at times.