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.  

“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.”

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.”