Probably my allergies

I have been getting pretty sentimental lately. I’m not sure if it’s because I am a father or because I have been missing my family. Maybe it’s just my allergies.

I had the chance to catch my first college basketball game the other day as I traveled to Havre to witness the Nicholson sisters, Hailey and Jada, play in a game at the Armory Gymnasium at Montana State University-Northern in Havre.

I was blessed enough as most in the community to see those girls standout in their M-ette years, enough so that the duo made state every season, winning two state titles during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

I remember the joys of those championship wins, I also remember sitting on court as the M-ettes fell to Fairfield in 2014 and 2017. I remember Jada getting tackled under the basket during a fast-break late in the 2017 championship game, while the whistle stayed silent.

I remember the joy and tears. I also remember seeing how the two sisters were almost inseparable in their high school years. I remember witnessing only a small glimpse of the bond that the two had.

I remember seeing them and interviewing them at the Hi-Line Invitational Tournament in March of 2016. As I arrived on the campus of MSU-Northern, I couldn’t help but get overwhelmed by the nostalgia of that day.

Hailey was a starter for the Northern Lights last Thursday, and Jada came off the bench. In ways, their game has evolved, but the movements, their defensive intensity, and their jump shot brought back memories. I stood on the court and thought to myself, “I never thought I would see that Nicholson jump shot again.”

I was so proud of them that day, I teared up a little throughout the game.

Their connection as siblings had me thinking about my brothers and how close we were as kids. I am lucky now to see them once a year, and that hurts my heart, especially knowing that life has been tough for them over the past decade.

PJ and Lincoln are doing well. PJ has really been into drawing comics lately, something that started after our last trip to Chicago; thanks to my brother Phillip, who works at a comic book store. Lincoln finds joy in putting on my slippers and walking around the house. The only problem is that sometimes it takes me a while to find my slippers