Bzzzz! It was the start of the fourth quarter of the fifth grade championship basketball game and we were ahead. From thirty-eight to twenty-three. With only an eight-minute quarter ahead of us, we were confident we had the game in hand. At this point we thought we were invincible, after all we were undefeated and had a good lead. But quickly, this confidence began to reveal itself in our game. We slowed down and lowered our intensity. The aggression and relentlessness that got us this far have suddenly been replaced by passivity and laziness. Sloppy passes left and right, without taking care of the ball, and hands down in defense. Our fight was over. However, our opponents never gave up. They saw our quality of basketball decline despite our overconfidence and took that opportunity. They began to chip away at the lead, and quickly. Forty-one to thirty-four, with four minutes and thirty seconds to go. We quickly realized that the game wasn't over yet, so we tried to increase the pace once again. But all the rhythm and momentum we once had has been lost. They took control of the game, scoring at will and blocking us completely. There was nothing we could do to stop the mounting comeback, and before we knew it, they were the team with a comfortable lead. Forty-three-fifty with just one minute to go. An undefeated team that had the championship in hand... is now on the brink of elimination. Queuing for the first time we panicked, but it was too late.Bzzzz! We all fall to the ground almost simultaneously, our heads bowed in pain. Shocked, ashamed... destroyed. The cause of this shameful defeat is due to the fact that we did not give our best throughout the match. We didn't work hard enough and ended up getting ninety-threes in all my classes. A goal I would never have achieved if I had continued to believe that A and B were enough. While it would have been nice to get a trophy that said "Champions" instead of "Runners Up", I'm glad I lost that game, because as much as it hurt. The defeat meant so much to me that it actually taught me an extremely valuable lesson that ultimately led to me achieving more success than just a championship. A simple lesson, give it everything you have and never settle for where you are, but it taught me how to be successful on and off the field. I wouldn't be the player or student I am today if I hadn't failed. My failure actually pushed me towards success, giving me the ability to push myself towards better grades and a more skilled basketball player. Sometimes, all it takes is one failure to hit you in the right way, to set you on the path to success.