GASTON, Ind. — On the bench, Blue River's starters sat shoulder-to-shoulder, staring as the final seconds ticked off the game clock. There was disappointment among them, even some tears, as a wave of Northfield fans rose in the stand directly behind them, clapping and cheering.
This wasn't the way the Vikings wanted the season to end, but it was their reality. Blue River, who even after playing valiantly in the second half of Saturday's regional championship, fell to Northfield 60-44.
But that moment didn't define what this Blue River squad was, and still is.
Until Northfield, which clinched its second semistate berth in the past three seasons, Blue River went through the postseason without much of a challenge.