Sion vs STA Showdown

First time after four years of beating St. Teresa’s Academy Stars, the Sion Storm loses 38-50.

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Genesis Martinez Porras

Sophomore Ava Lynn looks for an open teammate to pass the ball after the ball was out of bounds. “I prefer a big crowd,” Lynn said “I just like the energy the crowd brings to the game.”

Genesis Martinez Porras, Staffer

Shouts of the crowd echo throughout the gym as the players head to the court for the start of the highly anticipated rivalry game. Both sides of the bleachers were packed with people dressed in themes for their spirit sections. The Storm’s student sections dressed in their best winter wonderland themed outfits, while the Stars student section was in a rock n’ roll theme outfits. 

The first game played versus the Stars for the year ended in a bit of a disappointment. In the first half of the game, the teams were neck and neck with neither team being up by more than 5 points at a time. The players were working hard to keep up with the opponents.

The Storm had an unexpected bump in the road two days prior to the game when starting point guard junior Terryn Ford tore her ACL. Ford’s injury resulted in a change in the starting lineup.  

The two-time national champion Sion Storm Dance Team performed their new game day routine at halftime. (Genesis Martinez Porras)

“I wouldn’t say we were unprepared,” sophomore Ava Lynn said. “We were just hit with something unexpected and just changed the team dynamic.”  

Not long into the game junior Emerson Shelton was fouled. Shelton received a free throw and scored the first point of the game.

For the rest of the first half, the Stars and Storm went back and forth fighting for a win. But the players were not the only ones searching for a victory.

In the student section, two girls seem to be making a separate crowd form. Senior Makaila Traylor faced off against STA’s Poppy Robertson in a plank contest. Traylor started to shake a bit but kept her focus on winning the contest. Robertson also made a good effort to keep the better form trying to outlast Traylor. In the end, Traylor  won.

The supportive crowd gave the game an exciting environment but mixed with all the commotion, players found it hard to communicate with their teammates.

“The whole crowd factor was [making it] hard to communicate with the teammates,” captain junior Grace Carlson said. “You couldn’t hear anything so half the team was playing one defense and we were playing another defense.”

Junior captain Grace Carlson dribbles down the court after the Stars score a two-point shot. She was the leading scorer for the Storm this game with 13 points scored. “In the end run, it doesn’t matter about points, if you lose,” Carlson said. “It doesn’t change in the record book itself, but it’s nice to score.” (Genesis Martinez Porras)

The end of the first half was still in the Storm’s favor with a three-point lead, at 25-22. But from the third quarter on, the game went downhill. 

The Stars outscored the Storm in the third quarter, ultimately leading to their defeat. The final score was 50-38, marking the first time since Sion has lost to STA since varsity head coach Chad Lynn took over four years ago. The Storm is ready for their redemption and will face STA on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 7 pm at St. Teresa’s Academy, determining who will win the coveted Irish Cup. 

“I think we should have won,” Lynn said “But we will win the next one.”