Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rod Whigham for April 05, 2016

“We’re not sad because the season ended, coach. They’re tears of relief that we got out of it ALIVE!” (wary glances Kenzie-ward)

ref in P1 looks like she’s had a sudden case of food poisoning.

Actually the ref in P1 appears to be stricken with schistosomiasis, which is caused by a worse kind of fluke.

The worst kind of fluke would have been Milford winning that game, or Parkland losing it. And who had the phony season that Mimi is alluding to, Gil?

Too bad that the girl’s team has to play in the smaller gym where the ceiling is much shorter. In the boy’s gym for the same playdowns the basket counts… ;(

This leaves us four days for Kenzie and Max to reunite before baseball starts.

And making an 80-foot shot off the top of the backboard was the BEST kind of fluke, thus illustrating the law of conservation of flukiness, which states that flukiness can neither be created nor destroyed. Rather, it transforms from one form to another.

The ref suddenly passes out from cramping in P1, delaying the call. From the shine on that floor, it looks like Mop has been moonlighting at Parkland.

Oh, thank god, the ref lives and Milford goes home. Only a few more days until baseball and softball practice starts Saturday.

Is Menzie a junior or a senior? If she comes back next year, Gil should have her come out for football as his new QB.

Mimi, "When you stop being sad, be proud. And you two hugging? Take it to the showers.

In all reality , they teach you in referees school to sell your calls that’s what the ref is doing in P 1. P 3 nobody on the team is listening to you Mimi. P 4 is that Kenzie hanging from the girder and can Max save her in time ?

I think Kenzie should give the Ref a smackdown in the parking lot

Well somebody has to win and somebody has to lose! Hold your head up and Thank your teammates for a GREAT YEAR!!!

P3- “Wipe, err, melt those freeze dried tears. Either drink some Taster’s Choice or help Coach Kaz with the camera equipment.”

North Carolina fans probably wish this lady was working the game last night.

Ha! Interesting take. You’ve hit upon a pet peeve – teams roll the ball to save time, then pick it up and stand or slowly begin their play, negating – in many circumstances – the time saved. Just pass it in and GO!

So you’re saying they were hoist by their own petarheel? I need to apologize

tcar: I stand by my Marcus Paige observation. The young man is clutch and a killer. He ran out of time.

Dang it, if only someone had remembered to sacrifice a virgin to the peacock.

Why is Mimi bringing parasitic flat worms into her analogy?Maybe she meant to compare Kenzie to a Whale’s A*&.Maybe she was referring to the anchor’s hooks, and telling Kenzie she’ll need a bigger weight if she wants to drown herself. Pretty cold for a High School coach.

Wait a minute. I want to see the video on that shot. In slow motion and from multiple angles.

At least I hope that Mimi did some histrionic complaining, for form’s sake.

What in the hell is Mimi wearing in P3? Assuming that odd figure is Mimi. Already got her jacket on and ready to head out on her bike. “I’d like to stay losers, but I’m out of here!” And speaking of losers, don’t be one of the losers who doesn’t read Mopped Up Thorp.

Except, if you were to literally assume that everything would have went exactly the same without UNC rolling the ball those three times they would have not gotten off the tying shot in the first place. Which of course isn’t realistic, without rolling the ball they would have dribbled faster, etc. Although I thought it was weird the first time they rolled the ball with something like 3 minutes left. What was the point of that?

Can’t wait to see the resolution for the end of the boys season. Oh wait, that was just totally dropped. All we’ll get is Max and Menzie making up or some other drivel until Saturday.

Just wish my Heels could’ve had 1.3 seconds left last night — we could’ve tried the Menzie heave, and I’ll bet we wouldn’t have skimmed any girders! I’ve never really liked the ol’ rolling the ball either, just seems like such a sign of desperation. I always see teams doing that against us, but this is the first I remember us doing it. Rolling the ball with 3 minutes left — man, that’s sorta depressing.

So what exactly was the point of this story arc?

@BitsyTwill: of the worst sort. Time to cue the Stones and You can’t always get what you want. Not for today, but for Max when he mistimes a hit on Kenzie.

@Ellisburkes: You’re either a college super-fan with incredible ticket luck or your father was Walter Mitty. How’d you get into all those Finals?

In all reality, Ellisburkes is a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune which used to carry the Gil Thorp Comic Strip in the Sports Section. He is a native Chicagoan who prepend at Lane Tech attended Northwestern University on a football scholarship playing for Ara Parsingan graduating with a degree in journalism

@Mr. Reality: I’m glad that’s the story. I remember once when I actually met Walter Mitty. It was in the streets of….