The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

STARBUCK - Just after lunch on Friday afternoon, the two schools met in their final contest of the academic year.

Tensions were high among the almost fifty kids and their teachers and parents, who sat in folding metal chairs just inches from the sidelines in the gym. The excitement was so palpable that the little athletes had to rush back and forth in a constant stream between the benches, the restrooms and the drinking fountain.

The Starbuck Stars, playing on their home court, had the advantage over the Dixie Braves, a younger, shorter team. But the redclad kids from little Dixie lived up their name in a series of short basketball games against their farfl ung counterparts in green.

The half-pint Braves, ages ranging from 5 to 11, were undaunted by the size of the Stars and the distance to the basket. For their part, the Stars, who ranged in age from 5 to 12, fought just as hard. Sometimes they got a taste of their own medicine as younger players were matched against Braves several years older and many inches taller.

Spectators cheered as the small athletes dribbled carefully, blocked conscientiously and threw the ball toward the basket with mighty leaps.

They weren't discouraged when the ball completely missed the mark or fell short. Often, an older, taller teammate would reach long arms over the heads of the other athletes under the basket, catch the rebound and try again.

The youngsters sometimes had surprising results, scoring upwards of 12 to 14 points in a 10-minute match. In the end, no clear winner emerged. In the half-dozen or so games between 12:30 and 2 p.m., the lead passed from Dixie to Starbuck to Dixie and back. The schools were evenly matched.

And the kids were having a blast across the board.

"It's fun to play," said 7-year-old Jaydica Olson of Starbuck. "I like it because Dixie is not that rough." When asked whether she had trouble getting the ball all the way up to the hoop, Olson replied: "I just pass it to someone else, and then they pass it up to the basket."

The interscholastic competitions are part of the physical education programs at both schools, so participation is required. And every student at Dixie and Starbuck plays (except the seventh and eighth graders in Starbuck, since Dixie only goes up to fifth grade).

"But we have never had to force a kid to play - they always want to," said Karl Edie, Starbuck teacher and basketball coach. It's the same for Dixie. Close to 26 students played for the Braves during last week's final game; one student sat out with an injury and one because of illness. Three kids were benched for academic reasons.

"The kids have to get their homework done to play," said para-educator and Dixie coach Kelly Dabulskis.

Starbuck and Dixie compete in two basketball games and two soccer games per year. Soccer takes place in the fall. Last week, Starbuck traveled to Dixie's court to shoot hoops.

Stars show some effective defense against the Braves Friday.

" I like it a lot," said 9-year-old Colsey Brooks of Dixie. "Basketball is one of my favorite sports. I've got two of them: soccer and basketball."

Dixie students used to compete against both Starbuck and Touchet, but in recent years they stopped traveling to Touchet. The schools used to compete in volleyball too, but now it's just basketball and soccer.

The Dixie students play one final basketball game of the season against their parents - a thrill that will take place this Friday.

This arrangement between the two rural schools has been in place for over 40 years, according to Starbuck administrator Karen Rubenser, whose daughter, Katie Wooldridge, attended Starbuck as a child, competed against Dixie in sports, and Friday refereed the game between the Braves and the Stars. Wooldridge is also one of Starbuck's coaches and teachers.