Huron High School senior A.J. Mathew shares his experiences in AnnArbor.com's "High School Hoops Journal." Mathew is a 4.0 student and four-year starting point guard for the River Rats, who reached the Class A state finals last season.

Mathew's sixth and final entry comes after Huron's Class A regional loss to Detroit Catholic Central. Adding to the sting of the loss, Kalamazoo Central -- a team Huron beat 61-52 earlier in the season -- repeated as Class A state champions over the weekend.

As many of you know, the season did not end as planned. We took a hard loss to Detroit Catholic Central in a tough regional semifinal game. I did not expect to be writing this closing entry to my blog in such manner, but the outcome is what it is, and something we cannot change.

Looking back all the way to 2007, when I played my first varsity game as a 14-year-old, it is difficult to believe I am done with high school basketball for the rest of my life. Wow! But that is life and it will go on. We did everything we could to try to fulfill our dreams but on that given night the ball just did not fall our way. No complaints. Every experience gives you something to learn from and that is exactly how we look at it. What hurts in the short term makes you stronger in the long term. This only showed us that we all have something better coming for us later on down the line as long as we stay on the right path.

It has been an overwhelming ride, from start to finish. It seemed to end so fast. Every single teammate and coach that I have had has been nothing short of great. What truly sticks out to me is the way we grew. Every year we matured together and got better. We learned life lessons -- respect, trust, loyalty, communications, and dealing with adversity and disappointment.

Mathew (second from left end) couldn't bear to watch the season end against Detroit Catholic Central or even follow the state tournament after his team's early exit.

The night of the loss was painful, one of the most painful nights my teammates and I have experienced in awhile. It was abrupt and unexpected. The sting lingered on. The MHSAA tournament continued and everyone constantly talked about who was losing and winning, but I could not pay much attention. It hurt too much to see others doing what we dreamed of! But as time moved forward, we realized that we have to become bigger and better MEN and hold our heads high, no matter what the outcome was. The things we have accomplished at Huron over the years have been outstanding. We did not do it with one person; we did it with an entire program, and that is what makes Huron a special place.

For our seniors, we are all going to be going our separate ways as we slowly take strides into the collegiate world. But one thing that we knew would not be a problem was keeping our bonds and friendships strong. We created a family throughout our basketball careers at Huron. There was no doubt that even though basketball season is over, we would all continue to stay close as we continue to grow up. College will be an entirely different atmosphere for all of us, but I am certain that we will all look back and be happy for everything we have done throughout our basketball careers at Huron.

One thing that Coach Samaha focused on is helping you reach your maximum potential as a basketball player. But he always says, "What coach doesn't want that?" So he takes it one step further. He tries to help us reach our maximum potential as student athletes and as young men through coaching. He has earned the utmost respect from the whole Huron program and many fans around the state for the way he has raised us as if we were his own sons.

We have created so many memories to look back on and so many experiences that have made us who we are today. One thing that I truly cherish about the game of basketball is the amazing people that you meet along your journey. Day by day, it seems like there was always someone new to meet ... other coaches, players, fans, relatives, old friends, basketball fanatics. Some are just nice people wishing you well, and some are the type of people who stay by your side and are willing to help you in everything you do. Being respected not only in the community but also throughout the state means a great deal to us as a program.

I get teary-eyed every time I think about high school basketball because I am still in shock that I will never play a game for Huron again in my life. Even though we did not reach our goal, I can proudly say that dreams came true for many of us. But we are still student-athletes, so it is time to finish off the school year strong in the classroom!

To our families, friends, fans, supporters and to all my readers, on behalf of the Huron basketball program, I thank you for being so supportive to us over the years. You gave us moments that we will never forget. We appreciate everything you have done for us and we would not have accomplished it without you! We have so much respect for everyone who has shared this journey with us and you all are truly in our hearts.

Now it is time to lace 'em up and get back at it! Time to move on to the next level and get ready to become a collegiate basketball player for the Toledo Rockets! It is time to have another offseason, just like last year, and live by the motto "No days off!" To everyone playing sports in college or even just going to school this upcoming year, I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do. It has been a great four years and I am blessed to have experienced the times I did with Huron basketball.

Thank you!

Have a question for A.J.? Comment below or e-mail ajmathew03@comcast.net.