Football is over? Now it's basketball season? What's basketball? I've been so enraptured with writing about football that I can't remember what basketball is. Where's the dictionary?

According to Miriam-Webster, basketball is "a usually indoor court game between two teams of usually five players each who score by tossing an inflated ball through a raised goal." That sounds vaguely (very vaguely) familiar.

Is that the game I was officiating during my Adventures at Referee Camp series of columns? That week is still mostly a memory of sore feet and legs.

Is basketball the game where a team has that time-keeping mechanism that is supposed to make teams "toss an inflated ball (toward) a raised goal" in all levels above the one which needs it most (high school)?

Yes, that's the sport. It's all coming back to me now. Then basketball returning would make this column the first area basketball column of the season.

In all seriousness, out of the nine area schools I've seen play, all of them have at least one very good team. We're in for a fun year of hoops in a region that really cares about it. Let's get started.

Early rivalry game
Whoever designed the Cache and Elgin schedules for the season did us all a favor by having the two rivals play once before Christmas break tonight in Cache at 6:30 p.m. The games between these two schools always bring the best out of the kids, coaches and fans.

On the boys side it's been a polar-opposite start for the schools. Cache is sitting at 4-0 and has point totals of 92, 72, 72 and 54 to its name. Even though the Bulldogs made it to the area consolation finals last season and return nearly everyone from that team, they aren't ranked. Strange.

"We're feeling good right now, but it's really early so we're not overly excited," Cache boys head coach Lonnie Nunley said. "It's a long season and we have to keep improving, especially on our defensive rebounding and free throw shooting. We had a big win against No. 5 John Marshall on Tuesday which might give us some attention state-wide, but we're not really worried about that.

Cache is led by senior forward Tyler Tate who carries the scoring load most of the time. Joining him are fellow seniors Deverik Richardson at the point, Kolten Nading in the post as well as Junior Munnerlyn and Zack Jensen shooting from the wing. Those guys have Cache in a good position.

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