Unified Basketball battles Rocky to the end

Isabella Mahal • February 27, 2017

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Photo Credit: Karen Manley

On Thursday, February 23 both of Fossil Ridge High School’s Unified basketball teams took on Rocky Mountain High School. The JV game began at 6 pm, and the team pulled off a 42-30 win in forty minutes of play. Varsity fell to Rocky after a tough battle to the end, 21-34. Dee White, who ruled the court in the JV game and made the final shot just as the buzzer sounded, said that the most fun part is, “making the shots, and making the baskets.” When asked what she’d like to tell the school, she exclaimed, “come to the games!”

Ms. Rentel’s advisory class dedicated their sophomore service project to this game, making signs to hang on player’s lockers and hanging signs around the school. They encouraged fans to wear blue, the color of unity, to the game and to advertise with the hashtag “Keep Fossil Unified”. Makayla Lotito, one of the student leaders of the project, explained that, “we wanted to help create a sense of ‘togetherness’ here at Fossil, uniting people who are all unique and seemingly divided, by overcoming physical and social boundaries.”

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The JV Unified team came out strong immediately, taking a 4-0 lead right off the bat. At the end of the first quarter, Fossil had possession and Rocky had managed a comeback; the score was 8-8. The Sabercats didn’t stop pushing back, and the score remained tied at the end of the half, 22-22. Dawson Coker and White played especially well, and it began to show as Fossil pulled ahead. With one minute remaining on the clock, they had a 40-28 lead.

The pep band played in the stands for the duration of the games, pumping up the thirty or so student fans in attendance. The Unified cheer team was also at the JV game to support the Sabercats, and they performed Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown” to huge applause at halftime.

At the beginning of the Varsity game at 7 pm, Rocky scored two baskets in quick succession. The Sabercat athletes responded in kind, putting up a three pointer and several more baskets before the half concluded. Rocky maintained their 9-16 lead as the second half began, and David Knuckey added several points to Fossil’s total. The Unified players cheered on their teammates, shouting “I see a comeback coming!” with ten minutes to go. Rocky and Fossil battled back and forth, each scoring several baskets to make the score 17-32 with just three minutes left to play. Knuckey again did his part, adding two more baskets before the game ended. The final scoreboard read 21-34.

As Lizzie Bodenhamer, a first-time Unified basketball fan, explained, “it’s not always about who wins, it’s not necessarily about the competition. It’s just seeing the smile on the kid’s face, when they get the ball or make a basket. I really enjoyed this experience.”

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About the Contributor

Isabella Mahal, Head Copywriter

Despite all the warnings given to her, senior Isabella Mahal filled her schedule with AP classes and a single TA period. Many of these classes were only open to seniors and fascinate her, such as AP Literature and AP World History, so not having an off period doesn’t bother her. It isn’t just her school schedule that is full. Mahal fills her time with extracurricular activities like volunteering at the Humane Society, being the co-president of Fossil Ridge’s Spectrum, and being a member of the group Never Again NoCo that works to help end gun violence at schools.

If Mahal has some time to relax, she is spending it with her family and pets. Her younger brother, Sebastian, is a sophomore at Fossil, and they get McDonalds together in her free time. Her family dog, Gus, and her cat, Silverstein, help her wind down after a long day at school. Mahal loves hiking, biking, and hanging out in her hometown of Fort Collins. Although her music taste varies, she loves Counting Crows, The Front Bottoms, Duran Duran, and Modern Baseball.

Mahal never dreamt about spending all four years of high school in journalism, having joined the class to be with her best friend, Karen Manley. Due to their differing schedules, Mahal ended up alone in the class, which forced her to find her own place. She wrote academic and opinion pieces, adding movie and book reviews to her portfolio. After being the academic beat leader her sophomore and junior year, Mahal is now the head copy editor to round out her time in the class. Her dream school would be UC Berkeley, studying public or global health to one day possibly join the Peace Corps. Although Mahal isn’t pursuing journalism in the future, the class has become a window for her to find herself, and help others do the same. It's taught her about the students in the school whose voices aren’t always heard.

Mahal’s advice for incoming Journalism I students is to not be afraid to walk into an event or sport and be unsure about it, and to meet and talk with new people. People in clubs or sports that are less recognized are always appreciative of the recognition of their hard work. Even if you’re unsure about what you’re going to, you will definitely leave knowing more than before, and it’ll make you a more caring person to understand how everyone’s different experiences shape who they are. She loves the forum that journalism lends for people to understand the world around them, and she is a self-proclaimed “first amendment enthusiast”.