Staff takes it to the seniors

In the annual seniors verse Blair staff basketball game on Friday May 21 the staff pulled out a close win in a match that turned out to be a competitive contest. The staff was able to beat the seniors by finishing their shots and hustling all over the court.

The staff was led by Wendell Hall and Mr. R. Wilson, who provided much of the scoring. Hall repeatedly drove to the basket for acrobatic lay-ups, while still showing his outside shooting touch on several three-point shots. The staff bench cheered on their team from the sidelines, while talking and laughing with each other.

The seniors were comprised of mostly members of the boys varsity basketball team with several football players, boys lacrosse players and girls basketball players. The players regularly subbed in and out, but Charles Atakora, Perry Smith, and Rafeal Hill provided the seniors with a bulk of the scoring. Still, the seniors often settled for perimeter shots and were unable to rebound the missed attempts.

Much of the play was very individual, but both teams played hard and pushed the tempo of the game. The game opened up with back and forth play, with the staff striking first. After being down, the seniors would come back to take a three point lead. That lead disappeared, as the staff ended the first half with a 27 to 23 lead.

The second half would begin much like the first with neither team being able to pull away. While the staff played their key players for much of the game, the seniors were more balanced, varsity star Atakora did not play that many minutes. The end of the game provided some last minute tension with a mere two point staff lead with two minutes left in the game, but the staff was able to make some clutch turnovers and convert on fast-breaks to ruin the seniors hopes of any last minute heroics. With the time winding down the teachers stole the ball and made a quick outlet pass to the sprinting Hall who made a lay-up, extending the lead to four points. The game would end with the staff winning 44 to 38.

In the end the seniors were not able to beat the older staff team and will have to graduate without the bragging rights of beating their teachers, while the staff will look to defeat another team of seniors next year.