The final game of the season between the second-grade Firehawks and Giants ended up being one of the highest scoring and evenly matched affairs of the year.

The Firehawks outlasted and outscored the Giants, 32-30, Saturday at the East Lawrence Center.

Since this was the last game of the year for the Firehawks, their head coach Andy Liba said the game was full of enjoyment, much like the entire season.

“Well, being the last game of the year they were pretty excited about it,” Liba said. “I think we’ve had a great season and the kids have always been excited about practices and games. The coaches have tried to teach them some basic fundamentals out here, and also just to have fun.”

The Firehawks may have had fun throughout the season but that didn’t help the team put points on the board during the first quarter. In fact, the Firehawks dug a ditch for themselves by falling behind 16-8 after the first eight minutes.

In the second quarter, guard Simeon Windibiziri started to pick up the intensity of his play. Windibiziri was the most versatile player on the court. He drove the lane to score with spin moves in the paint, but he could also hit an outside jump shot to pick up points. He showed some of his versatility on the backboards by pulling down both offensive and defensive rebounds.

It wasn’t just Windibiziri grabbing boards: the entire Firehawks team managed to scratch and claw their way back into the contest by keeping offensive possessions alive after missed shots. On back-to-back possessions in the second half the Firehawks had five rebounds on each possession before finally putting the ball through the net.

Some of the Firehawks’ play could be attributed to team chemistry.

“This is the second year that I’ve coached these kids, and I had five kids on the team this year that I coached last year,” Liba said. “So it’s just a good time to be together, and it’s something to do. I think these kids are just young right now and it helps for them to get involved with team sports.”

The Giants played as a team as well, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Giants’ leader on defense was forward Avery Allen. Allen played with textbook defense. When an opposing player dribbled in front of Allen, he would blanket the offensive player. When the offensive player picked up the dribble, Allen would stand directly in between his man and the basket with his arms pointed straight toward the sky.

Even with the good defense from the Giants, the Firehawks were able to mount a comeback during the final quarter of play. The Firehawks trailed the Giants by six points heading into the fourth, but they outscored the Giants 12-6 to pick up the two-point victory.

Coach Liba said some of his team’s success could be attributed to their past experiences with each other.

“It’s a little bit easier having coached five of the kids last year. I think some of the kids are familiar with me. I’ve coached basketball now for two years, and I’ve coached baseball as well. So I think they’re pretty familiar with me, and I think I have a pretty good relationship with them.”

It seems that their familiarity with each other paid off for at least one game with the Firehawks squeaking out a two-point win.