Chesterton High school held their girls basketball Senior Night, on January 26. The girls went against Gary Westside, the Cougars. During that night, Chesterton honored all the seniors, by having the rest of the varsity team list off their names, what they will do when they get out of high school, and an inspirational quote to their team.

 Seniors Carley Balas, Madison Davis, Kiristina Kokot, Emma Pape, Elizabeth Pokorney, Emily Richardson, and Mannat Singh, were given flowers from the school board and varsity cheerleaders. All girls have been playing basketball for a majority of their school years. During their walk out to the crowd, each senior was greeted with applause and tears. 

“I think my teammates were the main reason senior night was super special other than the parents that came and helped. They were there to support us and kept the game fun even when it started to get frustrating. And it’s always nice to have the JV and Freshman teams cheering for us,” says Kristina Kokot.

 Usually the underclassmen, including juniors, and parent volunteers go and decorate the gym after school while the seniors go out and get lunch together. It was extra special this year because all of the freshmen were assigned a senior that they had to make a poster for with pictures. The whole team signed posters for the seniors and thanked them and gave them advice.

Since covid has been very brutal to the girls team, they were very happy to have their Senior Night. Originally, it was postponed because half of the girls team had covid. This night was very important to the seniors, because it is the recognition they deserve. As the game started, when the girls played defense, they ran left and right, guarding as best as they could. Gary had the advantage, keeping the scores close. While the Trojans played a tough offense, dodging the cougars, the stands applauded each time they made a basket, catching up to Gary. 

“The coaching staff tried to be more involved, but focused less on the players and made some of us feel unimportant, but not all (everyone),” says Emily Richardson.

At this point in the season, the girls had been struggling with their record. Previously, they had lost against Knox, 46-26. 

During the game, Emma Pape was about to make a basket, when her knee twisted the wrong way, causing her to not be able to play the rest of the game, or the season. Pape will be receiving surgery for her knee injury on February 9. 

Heading into the second quarter, the Trojans started to catch up to Gary, getting closer and closer. Gary however, made it difficult for the Trojans, either guarding them while playing defense, or getting past them while playing offense. 

At the end of the game, the Lady Trojans did their best to stay on the heels of Gary. Even though they tried their best, they sadly lost to Gary, 50-49. Even so, they all appreciated being together on their senior night. Chesterton is more than proud of the girls and appreciates what they do for the school, and their efforts.