Jordan “J-Ballin’” Stover was in double figures in scoring as he put his hands on his hips to catch a quick breath. With 5 seconds to go, the Staff had a two-point advantage, 53-51, and a one-and-one had Mr. Cooper at the line, ready to seal the game.
The front end of the one-and-one hit the front end of the iron, bounced up, then fell into Stover’s hands. The junior raced up the court, put a move on Coach Freda, and heaved a last second shot, trying to rob the Staff of their second-straight Student-Staff Basketball Game victory.
Stover’s shot struck high off the glass and fell to the floor as the clock struck 0, and roughly 50 students in attendance let out a collective sigh. Despite Stover’s best efforts, the Staff came away victorious on Wednesday night.
“Coach Joseph [Contreras] did a good job coaching in the game, and it was a good game even though we took a tough loss,” Stover said. “The girls really carried the offense as well. It came down to the final seconds of the game, and I had one last shot to take but it didn’t go in. It still was a good game.”
Mr. Cooper and Mr. Rogers led the Staff to victory with a tremendous second half scoring streak. Rogers started the half with a breakaway layup and a three pointer to quiet the student crowd.
“That first half I just wasn’t feelin’ it, ya know? I had that air ball, had a couple missed free throws, but real champions, they come back and they persevere in times of hardship,” Coach Rogers said. “My team pulled it through. [Cooper] pulled us through, we had a whole bunch of people who were on fire. It was a team effort.”
The close victory by the staff Wednesday night marks the second straight loss by the students, and the Staff basked in the glory of a whole year of bragging rights ahead of them.
“It feels great, it’s almost as good as putting them in detention at times, I have to tell you,” Security Team Leader and Staff Coach Mr. Yantsos joked after the victory.
The students had many star players, including Victoria Cruz-Faulk and fan-favorite Mfundo Kaendera. “I haven’t seen the stats yet but I think I got my first triple-double of my career,” Cruz-Faulk said. “What can I say, I do it for the fans. And there were a lot of them, biggest turnout I’ve seen to a Student-Staff game yet. The big crowd just shows how RM is a community and we got each others’ backs.”
Kaendera had a clutch drive and floater in the first quarter that sent the crowd into a frenzy, chanting out “Mfundo” as the senior jogged to the other end of the floor. “I’m just proud to bring that energy to the game,” Kaendera said. “It was fun. Everyone was hyped up. I wish we came out with the ‘W’ at the end, but I got two steals – one from Rogers – and three blocks, so it’s fine, it’s whatever.”
Senior Samuel Chiza had a strong performance, including a powerful dunk in the second half. “I don’t know what happened first half,” Chiza said, “I wasn’t feelin’ so good, ya know? But I turned up a little bit, couple buckets here and there. It’s Chiza right here, the one and only. I’m the bucket-getter.”
Sophomore Evan Scheinberg had a hot start to the second half, draining three three’s in a push to narrow the Staff’s lead, but in the end, the Staff won again, 53-51.
The spirit of competition was all for a greater cause tonight, one for one of the RM community. The Staff and Students came together to play in the Shankles’ honor, an RM family who lost their father to pancreatic cancer. All proceeds from the night will be donated to the Shankle Education Fund to ensure the Shankle sisters can follow their dream to attend college.
“Most people at this school didn’t really know my father and to have so many people in purple today to support us, despite not knowing him, really means a lot to me,” sophomore Chloe Shankle said.
$788 will be donated to the Shankle Education Fund. “We came out here to support a cause and have fun doing it,” School-Wide Secretary Darian Garcia said. “It was a success, not just because of us, but for all of the students and parents who came out to watch. They are the real MVPs.”
