Judge hoopsters give boost to Tahoe firefighters

As firefighters here in Utah battled the monster fire at Milford Flat, another Western blaze was being snuffed out, but not before significant losses were experienced.

Some 500 miles away, at South Lake Tahoe, residents watched helplessly as the Angora fire burned up 3,100 acres and 254 buildings, most of which were homes.

In these unusual circumstances, the basketball team from Judge Memorial would eventually find itself helping to lift the spirits of some of the bravest people in the world — those battling the fire.

Lake Tahoe annually hosts one of the West's premier high school basketball tournaments, and four teams from Utah made their way to the event. Highland, Judge Memorial, Juan Diego and Sky View all arrived in the aftermath of one of the Tahoe National Forest's most horrific fires.

Judge Memorial has been sending teams to this tournament for the past 24 years. Assistant coach Dan DelPorto first came to the mountain retreat in 1984 as a player. Now, as the school's athletic director and assistant basketball coach, DelPorto said that the team missed the worst of the fire but got a firsthand account of the fire's lasting effects.

As he and the team observed the

scorched residential areas, the devastation had seemed to strike at random. Three or four homes were completely burned to the ground while neighboring residences were left untouched by the flames.

While eating at the local pizza hangout, players and coaches got acquainted with a large group of firefighters. The pizza parlor doubled as a staging area to feed the worn-out fire crews. DelPorto could see the exhaustion on their faces and the layers of charcoal on their bodies.

"These guys came in looking like they just fell out of a chimney," the coach said.

A conversation started between players and crew members, and one of the firefighters asked the players when they played next. For reasons unknown, the group of fire personnel rallied around their new friends. The firefighters attended four of the Bulldogs' games throughout the tournament.

DelPorto recalled just how the troop made their first appearance in the gym.

"About 20 firefighters waltz in ... in parade-like formation," the coach said.

With this newfound fan base, the players responded. A third-quarter slam dunk from Judge forward Walker Gale really got the crew fired up.