Jazz vs. Classical

There are so many angles, so many ways to describe Union’s remarkable run to a state title. You know, like, um, “remarkable.” And maybe “stunning” or “shocking” or “how in the world did this happen?” I mean, this was freakin’ unbelievable.

We had columns from Friday’s and Saturday’s games here and here. And Paul Valencia had blanket coverage throughout the tournament in The Columbian and at our high school sports blog.

And aside from the fact that nine-loss Union was facing unbeaten Enumclaw for the title, Saturday’s championship game was pleasing on an aesthetic level:

To put the victory into musical terms, it was a night for jazz lovers. Enumclaw plays like a symphony, all organization and precision and direction. Union turns basketball into free-flowing improvisation.

On Saturday night, the Titans were Miles Davis, ignoring their nine-loss pedigree and delivering a virtuoso performance.

I like that analogy. I just wish I had thought of it earlier, not three-quarters of the way through the column and five minutes before deadline.

Enumclaw had five seniors in the starting lineup and 10 on the roster. And they played like an experienced, disciplined team that had practiced every possible situation over and over and over. They were always in the right place, almost always making the correct decision. Obviously, they were doing something right to be 27-0 coming into the title game.

But Union plays with abandon and creativity while still adhering to a structure. Don’t know whether one style is more effective than the other, but it made for a cerebral contrast in styles.