Judge Memorial Catholic High School basketball team wins first place and the hearts of firefighters

Intermountain Catholic

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?Your team our team,? was the comment made by Ernie Weber, a South Tahoe firefighter after befriending the Judge Memorial Catholic High School basketball team. ?This was a special experience,? said James Yerkovich, Judge Memorial vice principal and head basketball coach. ?That comment said it all for us in a school where we promote ?We.' It was just a manifestation of ?We' for our team. Our boys could see their team work being vitally important to such a critical situation. Here we were playing a game, and these guys are dealing with life.? IC photo courtesy of Dan Del Porto

SALT LAKE CITY — The Judge Memorial Catholic High School boys basketball team competed in the South Tahoe Shoot Out and walked away with the best record of any school competing July 5-8. There record was 7-1, and it was Judge Memorial’s 24th year in a row competing in the Shoot Out.

While in Tahoe the team befriended some firefighters. The fire they were fighting was the Angora fire on a ridge above South Lake Tahoe. It started from an illegal campfire and spread quickly through a heavily wooded subdivision burning 254 homes and causing more than $140 million in property damage, according to the Mercury News in Sacramento, Calif.

"Winning is kind of irrelative to the tournament," said Dan Del Porto, Judge Memorial athletic director and assistant coach. "Everybody gets to play eight games. We considered ourselves winning the tournament when we came out with the best record of any team. It is not like a regular tournament where teams are seated against each other in brackets. But at the same time, winning is not an easy thing to do. This is a very competitive tournament.

"There are teams from Oregon, Reno, Northern California, and Utah including Judge, Juan Diego Catholic High School, Highland High School, and Skyview High School," said Del Porto. "We request not to play any of the Utah schools because we play them during the regular season.

"During the Shoot Out, it has been a traditional activity for the Judge team to go out on Friday after our last game and have pizza," said Del Porto. "This particular pizza place where we were having pizza was also serving as home base for the firefighters. It gave them a place to eat and get off their feet and rest for a while.

"While we were there, the firefighters coincidentally came in," said Del Porto. "Some of the team members started talking to them, and the firefighters found out we were in Tahoe playing basketball."

Del Porto said the firefighters were absolutely worn out and looked like they had just fallen out of a chimney when they walked in from working all day.

"They found out when we played the next day and made it to our second of three games that day," said Del Porto. "There were about 20 of them who walked in with their uniforms on, and it looked like a parade. We were playing very well, and did not lose until our final game. Watching our games was a real welcome diversion for them from what they were doing. I made sure that all the team went over and shook their hands after the games."

Del Porto said the games were played in two different gyms, and the firefighters would follow them into whichever gym they were playing. If there was an hour break, the firefighters would wait to see them play.

"The Judge Memorial team was amazed by the devastation in the neighborhoods that were literally burned to the ground by the fire," said Del Porto. "About all they could say was ‘Wow’ after witnessing what had happened. This was an experience they will not soon forget."