On Jan. 29, Varsity girls’ basketball squared off against Howell in the 5th annual Pink Ribbon Game.  It was a hard fought game till the end with the Lady knights coming up short by 1 point.

“It’s always a good game because they are our sister school and we know to bring our best,” junior Madison Gillam said.

The two teams came out ready to play. In the first half, the Lady Knights looked towards Gillam from beyond the arc and Hali Long, who had 12 points in the game, driving to the lane and setting up in the post. Gillam made two three-pointers in the first half. With a hard fought battle, the Lady Knights trailed Howell after the first half, 32-25.

With one half down, the Lady Knights battled once more.  It didn’t take long for the team to come back.  With three minutes gone in the third quarter, the Lady Knights had narrowed the gap to just one point.  But, Howell would not go down easy and had a late period surge and ended the third quarter with a 44-38 lead.

The fourth period did not disappoint. The game was back and forth and was up for grabs.  With less than a minute left in the game, the Lady Knights trailed by 4. Junior Kaitlin Isbell made a big three-point shot to bring the lead to only one.  With only five seconds left, th

e Lady Knights were forced to foul. After Howell missed their free throw the Lady Knights got the rebound and only had time to heave up a half court shot as time ran out but was unsuccessful.

“I’m disappointed with the outcome, but we played to the best of our abilities and just couldn’t pull out the win,” “Long said.”

The final score was 49-48 giving the Varsity Lady Knights a record of 8-10. The game was not only special because of the rivalry but also because the game was a tribute to those who have dealt with cancer.

“We honor everyone who has been touched by cancer,” junior Jessica Moceri said.

The team hopes to look past this close loss and get ready for Districts.

“Our goal is to go farther in Districts than we did last year and, hopefully, win,” Long said.