It’s the first night of the conference season for both Har-Ber and Fort Smith Southside basketball teams. The teams are both excited and ready to start the conference season off on a good note. The announcer calls the name of the first Rebel starter.

“KALEY MOORE,” says the announcer.

As always the player runs onto the court and heads to their opponents’ bench to shake hands with the other team’s coach. This is nothing out of the ordinary; however, what happened next was anything but normal.

Southside starter Kaley Moore did not go straight back to center court to wait on the rest of the team to join her. She instead walks right up to the Har-Ber bench and lays a bouquet of flowers on the first chair. This is the same chair that has been draped with the No. 20 jersey of Micayla Patterson for the entirety of the Lady Wildcats season.

“We know that it’s been hard on [the Har-Ber girls basketball team], and we just wanted to show that we still care and that we are still praying for their team,” said Moore.

For that moment it was no longer about winning the game. It was about the love and respect that the Southside has for their basketball sisters Har-Ber.

The teams went on to play a highly emotional game that was eventually won by the Lady Rebels in overtime. The final score was 56 to 54. Although the Lady Wildcats didn’t win the game, they played well. They were playing for something much more than a conference win.

“They played hard for Micayla,” said Moore.