This year, Sion’s varsity team won against Barstow 46-7 and defeated Harrisonville by around 25 points. The Basketball Jamboree is an annual Sion tradition where the varsity team plays various other schools in friendly matches. It offers a chance to hone skills and teamwork in a low-stress environment to prepare for the season.
“Jamborees are super simple because they’re not a lot of pressure,” Athletic Director Kate Pilgreen said. “It’s for everybody to kind of practice before the first game. So referees, kids, me running the scoreboard, it’s just basically a big practice.”
This year the Jamboree was especially important as there is a new head coach. The Jamboree offered the team a chance to understand their playstyle and get to know the new coach’s tactics.
We would like to send a special thank you to the players, staff, and fans of @BarstowBb, @HvilleCatsBB and Sion for an awesome Jamboree.
Photo dump below.. pic.twitter.com/I5LMfljXfG— Sion Basketball (@BasketballSion) November 11, 2023
“It was fun to get to know each other like in our style of play with the new head coach and kind of get used to playing together before the actual season starts,” junior Vivian Kuntz said. “It was so nice to get to start your season off right and get a few good wins. And know that you can win. You can work through issues, especially in your own gym. It’s nice to not start off on a loss.”
While the Jamboree is an annual event, Sion does not always host it. Having the Jamboree in Sion’s gym allowed the team to feel more confident and get used to their home field.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking but it was also really fun to start playing because I think this year we really all work well together,” senior Emerson Shelton said. “And we have a solid team, it’s very athletic, and I think we can go far.”
The primary disadvantage of the Jamboree was the early start time. The first game, between Barstow and Harrisonville, was played at 9 a.m. The players had to get up early to drive to school and do their warm-ups. Additionally, the empty gym led to a strange game experience.
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“It was weird having our first game at 9 a.m. with no students section and to just be playing random teams, but it was still fun,” Shelton said. “I’m really excited for our first home game and for everyone to show out.”
While the teams did not play full games, instead competing in three six-minute quarters, the clocks were stopped frequently causing the games to run longer than expected. The long day of games tested the team’s conditioning and energy.
“We were a little bit tired after the first game because it’s obviously a little bit early in the season,” Kuntz said. “We’re not all the way conditioned yet, but we still had a great time and we had a few really good, like energy moments where like we would get a good blog and we’d all cheer for each other.”
The team pushed through the difficulty, beating their opponents by more than twenty points. Their persistence proved they are here to play this season.
Jamboree pic.twitter.com/qtXeFbMRS2
— Sion Basketball (@BasketballSion) November 11, 2023
“In the last minute and a half we scored like 12 points, I think because we were all just wanting to get back into it,” Kuntz said. “We didn’t want to end on a bad note. And so we basically all just put in work and got stuff figured out.”
The basketball team’s first in-season game is Nov. 28, offering the student body their first opportunity to pack the stands.
“Our varsity team showed up. They had a lot of fun. They played really well together,” Pilgreen said. “I got goosebumps watching them. I think the season is gonna be so awesome. It’s gonna be a blast to watch them play. So everybody should come out for your Sion sisters.”
