KIRTLAND - - I thought maybe I'd write about the old adage, "All good things must come to an end," in regards to Pymatuning Valley's undefeated dream season drawing to a close in Tuesday night's 57-54 Division III district semifinal loss to Berkshire.

Nope. Not gonna do it.

I could try to sugarcoat the loss for the PV faithful, players and coaches, but no matter how positive I am and no matter how much I try to put what PV accomplished this season into perspective, there's still going to be a sick feeling in everyone's stomach's Wednesday when people read this.

It stings.

It really stings.

After all, Berkshire's Kelly Blair in 4.4 seconds ended a year's worth of hard work, dedication and effort with his game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Most fans would say they would have rather lost by 30 than lose in that manner, especially an undefeated season.

So let's talk about that disappointment. It stings. It really stings. PV fans were left stunned. Laker players were left in tears. Coaches were left to ponder what went wrong. Everyone was left to watch Berkshire celebrate and advance to play top-seeded VASJ instead of watching the Lakers do so.

I won't try to make it sunny.

It stings.

So why am I writing this, you ask?

You see, disappointment is a powerful word. Getting disappointed has a way of making people much, much stronger. It has a knack for turning great teams into legendary ones. It has a way of creating something far greater than an undefeated season.

Disappointment breeds excellence. How many times have you seen a team somewhere lose a heartbreaker in the tournament, then a year later use that pain as an advantage to create something truly special the following season?

Like say, a state-tournament run?

Despite the fact the Lakers must feel horrible this morning with the realization their undefeated season is over, they must know in the back of their minds that the whole experience was worth risking the pain they must feel.

The Lakers will take this loss and use it to their advantage. Of course, it will make them stronger as a team next season (PV returns all but two players in 2007-08), but every player on that roster will have learned something from this loss.

Yes, the Lakers were severely disappointed after Blair's shot, but there was something that was heard postgame that makes what I just said all the more true.

"We already got guys looking forward to next year," PV coach Jeremy Huber said of the mood in the PV locker room. "I heard a bunch of guys say, 'Let's get back to work tomorrow.' They don't want the season to end and they don't want to stop working."

The Lakers have already learned a valuable lesson that goes far beyond basketball. You fall down, you get back on the horse and try again. You get beat, you come back and play even harder the next time.

Even PV seniors Brenton Harvey and Joe Stenger, who played in their final varsity game for the Lakers on Tuesday, learned something. Don't let one big disappointment ruin something far more special in the future. They all have their whole lives ahead of them and that loss will definitely make them stronger as adults after graduation.

Isn't that the whole point of high school athletics?

Steve Savel, Corey Shontz and the rest of the Lakers will take the disappointment they are feeling while reading this and use it to fuel their futures, too. They'll be back in the gym soon preparing for next winter.

With the talent they have coming back, the Lakers will definitely be back in this spot a year from now and they will be in a much better position for success. In time, the realization that they became the first Laker team to finish the season undefeated in nearly two decades will finally sink in.

Then they'll feel like they should, a million bucks.

Johnson is the boys basketball beat writer for the Star Beacon. He can be reached via email at jjohnson@starbeacon.com.

Star Beacon Print Edition: 3/7/2007

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