The Sion basketball team lost to the Star’s basketball team at St. Teresa’s Academy on Dec. 1. Each student section had a theme, Sion’s being “A Night in Aspen” and St. Teresa’s being “Wedding.”
The stands were full, as it was the “Future Stars Night” for the huge rivalry game, which made the crowd even more wild and the energy levels through the roof.
“I think for a lot of players, the rivalry does add extra pressure than any other game, especially since the game was at STA,” junior Abby Wendte said. “We of course want to beat them because we are competitors, but we also want to beat them for everybody who came out to support.
The game started off with each team playing the ball back and forth, with the first point being brought by Wendte shooting a three pointer. Following the Storm’s first five points against St. Teresa’s, the stars took their first time out with four minutes left in the first quarter. After the Stars started coming back, senior Emerson Shelton came right back at them with a three of her own to end the first quarter 9-11.
“Before the game I was feeling so excited, but also a little anxious,” Wendte said. “I have never played in a rivalry game before and I couldn’t wait to be a part of the environment.”
The beginning of the game started in the Storm’s favor, but shortly after, their lead was cut down by the Stars, making it 29-25 to end the first half with each student section roaring, hoping for their teams to win.
“In a typical game there is never that much of a crowd. STA’s student section was packed, and that many people cheering against you definitely can get in your head if you let it,” Wendte said. “I think there is also another level of added pressure to perform at your best, and make the game fun to watch so that way more students come to future games. We all know the rivalry against STA is not just basketball related, so we want to win on behalf of the whole school.”
The Storm could not defend the three, but were coming back with their own three pointers, with freshman Sydney Blaine ending the third quarter with a buzzer beater. At this point in the game, the Stars were up 49-35 to end the third quarter.
“The game against STA was nowhere near our best. I think losing to them will give us the drive and motivation we need to beat them in February. We know we are very capable of beating this team, and now we have a better understanding of how we need to prepare.”
The Stars did not back down in the fourth quarter, going on a 6-1 run against the Storm making the score 55-39 with just over 2 minutes left of the half. After shooting some free throws, the Storm was unable to pull through with a win, making the final score 58-43.
“We were all disappointed that we didn’t win, especially because it is such a big rivalry,” Kuntz said. “But we know what we need to work on now so we will get back to work and be prepared for February.”
