On Friday, Dec. 15, the students defeated the faculty 48-22 in the second annual student vs. faculty basketball game. Students of all grades were invited to watch the seniors play against the teachers.
This year’s student team roster included students from various sports teams throughout the Hill. The team was composed of members from the football team, student council association (SCA) and the baseball team to name a few. The student team was coached by seniors Victoria Allen and CJ Taylor while the faculty team was coached by senior Jaylen Dillard. Senior basketball player Quran Muhammad believes the team mostly benefited from the group’s combined work ethic.
“We had very good teamwork and very nice team communication,” Muhammad said.
Faculty members and students also participated in cheerleading. During halftime, faculty cheerleaders joined student cheerleaders to do their own dance routines during halftime. Senior Penelope Rivera was initially reluctant to join the cheerleading team but ended up having a great time.
“I actually didn’t want to be a cheerleader at all until my friend Bella signed me up,” Rivera said. “I did have fun though and enjoyed doing cartwheels with [my friends].
Senior CJ Brooks scored the game’s first points for the students team. Librarian Cassidy Capuano immediately joined him in scoring, with the first two buckets for the teachers coming from a penalty. This is Capuanos second year playing in the student vs. faculty basketball game, and she enjoys participating because of all the enthusiasm students get from watching the game.
“Playing in an exciting environment with a big crowd always makes a big difference so it was fun on our end to have the students and faculty into the game,” Capuano said. “It added an extra layer of fun.”
Points were quickly scored on both sides, but the seniors seized the lead in the first half and kept it in the second. Seniors Conner Powell and Sean McCray made numerous shots in the fourth quarter to extend the students lead for first, and they made sure to keep it that way till the end of the game. Ultimately all their hard work paid off as the seniors made history by beating the faculty members and winning the game for the students. Muhammad recalls the moments that followed after their win.
“It felt really good to beat the faculty,” Muhammad said. “By the end of the game, we were chilling and making jokes,” Muhammad said.
The enthusiastic crowd was on their feet cheering on their friends and favorite teachers throughout the game. All of the students celebrated with each other as they became first-time champions of the students vs. faculty basketball game.
