22 Varsity basketball student athletes and 18 high school staff members came together for one of the most exciting games of the year. On Tuesday, October 11 in the gym at Mission Viejo High School, the staff and students of Mission duked it out on the basketball court in a fundraiser game for grad night.
This event was put together by Vice Principal Mr. Zides to raise money for grad night. He noticed that prices for it were growing and not everyone would be able to afford it. In response, he organized this fundraiser so more seniors would be able to attend.
Many people were involved in putting this special night together, and it definitely paid off. They even had actual referees. That Tuesday night, the stands of the gym were filled. Admission was $5 at the door and with ticket prices alone, over 2,000 dollars were raised.
The student team was stacked with the boys and girls varsity teams, coached by Coach Mo, and the staff team had MVHS household names such as Science Teacher Weiss, English Teacher Mock, Campus Supervisor Skeets, History Teacher Daher, and many more, all coached by Coach Johnson. For the students it was just a fun game they agreed to help out with, but for the teachers a lot was on the line. They risked breaking their fragile, ancient bones or pulling a muscle or throwing out their back. Who knows if they would be able to recover?
Thankfully the game ended injury-free with the staff winning 61 to 54. Not only did the staff win, but they outscored the students in every quarter except the second. The top scorers were Thurlow and Wright on the staff team, and Rowen Weiss on the student team.
The game started off very close, the two teams went back and forth. The first quarter ended with the staff in the lead, 14 to 11. In the second quarter, the students woke up and took the lead, ending with the students ahead 29 to 25. That is a total of 11 points scored by staff and 18 points by students. Quarter three, the staff played catch up and came back, ending the quarter barely behind, 47 to 46. Even though they were still behind, they out-scored students making 21 and students with 18.
Throughout the whole game, energy was high from both the players and stands. That energy only grew in the fourth quarter. The tension grew as the game crept closer and closer to the end; with every play the stands and the benches were on the edges of their seats. The pressure was on and within the last minute and a half, something incredible happened. The Staff team scored 6 more points and put an end to the game.
Even though the last moments of the game were devastating for the students, it is clear to say that this game was well matched. Between all the slam dunks, fouls, and trash talk; everyone in that gym on October 11 felt like one team. It was a beautiful moment to see the school’s staff and students come together as one community and be a part of that amazing night.
The staff and students of MVHS duke it out in the basketball game of the year.
