Senior night – a night of celebration of a season of hard work and great games, specifically made to honor the seniors who participated in the sport throughout the season. And what is a celebration without a dance?
This year, the Wildcat’s basketball season ended with both senior night and homecoming in the same game. Seniors from the boys and girls teams, the Silver Stars, the cheerleaders, and all the homecoming maids and their queen were recognized at the season-end game on February 28. The homecoming dance directly followed the game.
“I don’t think it’s ever been done before, that I remember,” said senior basketball player Brandon Buccherri of the dual-celebration. “I like the idea.”
As opposed to its fall counterpart, winter homecoming’s theme was far from formal – instead expecting all visitors to attend in neon clothes and leave all worries about finding dates and dinner reservations back in fall.
As far as the senior night celebrations went, emotions were all over as seniors looked upon their fans for the last time from their own home court.
Even a few underclassmen found themselves sharing in the emotional celebrations. “Senior night [was] so emotional because some of my best friends are seniors, and it’s not exciting at all that this is the last game,” said junior basketball player Paige Redmond.
“For me, it’s kind of sad and heartbreak that it’s the last time I get to play on Har-Ber’s court,” said senior Sam Weber. “Hopefully we’ll have two more weeks of good basketball with state and state championships coming up.”
As everyone knows, it’s not just about the destination but also the trip there. Both teams have worked incredibly hard on and off the court.
“This year is the first year I feel like we all learned what it meant to truly be part of a team and have the same goal in mind and strive for it,” said Buccherri. “As for myself, I feel like I became not only a better basketball player but a better person as well.”
The boys team has fought hard all season and kept their morale high. “We definitely did not accomplish what we had our goals set for ourselves, but we have improved tremendously,” said senior Austin Fox. “It’s definitely a disappointment but we are a tight group and we lean on each other for support.”
“I think we’ve had a really good season,” recalled Weber. “I think we’ve been successful not only by how many wins and losses we’ve had and where we rank in state, but just how we’re a family and how close we’ve become as a team.”
The teams spend a lot of time together on the road and share many special memories that bond them together as a true team, and not just a group of students who were placed in the same school to play the same sport.
“Probably one of my favorite memories was when we all went to Build-a-Bear and we made a bear together. It’s like our team bear,” said Weber. Whether it’s outings to a toy store or long talks together in hotel rooms, both teams have had plenty of time to bond and grow together as more than a team.
“We had some of the hardest practices of our lives together, lots of times on the road and in hotel rooms just being together,” said Buccherri. “It taught us how to trust each other and how to get along as a team.”