Third Place Sports Feature, 2014
Originally Published Nov. 28, 2014
PAXTON — Monday night was a win for the Tri-Valley Viking community in more ways that one.
The boys basketball squad tipped off their season with a win against Fisher, battling from a 31-20 halftime deficit.
But the game was almost secondary, as senior shooting guard Austin Spencer made his return to the court after a year-long battle with a rare immune disorder (XLP-2), and a bone marrow transplant to cure it.
“It was exciting,” Spencer said of the moments pre-tipoff. “The crowd showed up and it was definitely a fun moment and I just tried to take it all in.”
That Spencer was on the court was unlikely and improbable enough. That he led the team in scoring and nailed five of his seven three-pointers was icing on the cake.
“It’s incredible,” Viking coach Jon Nelson said of the return. “For him to be 5-7 from three, and for him to be where he is now after where he was a year ago is just incredible.”
Spencer led the Vikings with 15 points, hitting four of his five threes in the first half when the Vikings were otherwise flat.
Spencer said it was a team effort that led the Vikings back despite an 8-point deficit after the third quarter.
Junior Will Dolk scored six second half points, three of them from the free throw line. Adam Coulon added 10, with six coming in the final quarter.
But it was a late triple and a pair of free throws from Phillip Westerfield with just five seconds remaining that put the Vikings ahead. They were his only points of the contest.
Spencer’s 15 topped the Viking stat line, but he didn’t take the court for personal accolades.
“We got the win, that’s what’s important,” Spencer said. “It was great to be out with my buddies that I have been with forever. I’ve been playing basketball with them since I was in kindergarten so it was nice to be out on the court with them again after so long.”
The Vikings won again Tuesday night, defeating Armstrong-Potomoac 65-34.
The battle back
That Spencer could play this year was never a foregone conclusion.
His IHSA eligibility was technically passed, but in rare cases, the athletic association will allow a student another year of eligibility.
Considering the immune disorder Spencer suffered from affects about one in 10 million, the IHSA allowed the now-senior one more year on the court.
Once that hurdle was passed, Spencer had his eye on the opening tip.
“I was definitely making sure that no matter what happened that if I was able to come back I would be ready,” Spencer said. “It was always my goal to be ready for this first game. It was able to happen and I’m definitely grateful that it was.”
As he regained strength during his extended hospital stay in Cincinnati, he and his father Bart Spencer kept the jump shot sharp.
“Me and my dad have been working on it for the past year. When it was warm, we were able to go to the park. After it started getting cold, we got hooked up with a gym and the athletic director allowed us to come and play for free.”
Recovering from a bone marrow transplant is a long, arduous process requiring bed rest, medications and near-constant monitoring.
Spencer’s return was a little bittersweet, as younger brother Mason, who was set to be a freshman at Tri-Valley this year, is also affected by XLP-2. Mason has undergone the same treatment, with sister Raegan donating his bone marrow specimen.
The younger Spencer has since been afflicted with graft versus host disease, a complication associated with bone marrow transplants. Every day for Mason is a struggle through constant pain and the ill effects caused in transplant recovery.
He has spent recent days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Cincinnati, with medical staff doing what they can to minimize pain.
“Mason is hanging in there,” Austin said. “He’s struggling right now, but he’ll get through it. He’s a fighter.”
As basketball was the driving force for the elder Spencer in his strenuous recovery, he hopes to set an example for his younger brother.
“I know he looks up to me, and I hope he can follow in my footsteps and maybe look at me as a goal to get to, to keep hope alive,” The elder Spencer said.
Nobody except the brothers can know the struggle associated with the disorder, but the Spencers have faced the uphill medical battles as a family. On Thursday, they will spend Thanksgiving together in Cincinnati.
To follow the Spencers’ story, visit hopeforspencerboys.com.