It’s that time of year where the weather outside is frosty, but the basketball court is full of sweaty, driven players. The heat on the court is always boiling with competitiveness. Friday night, the Alliance Bulldogs faced the Scottsbluff Bearcats. Girls were set to play at 5:30pm and boys at 7:00pm.

“I just had to squeeze in one last game of Fortnite before leaving for the game,” I thought to myself, as I searched the fan-packed parking lot for a spot. Then again, I would have more than likely been running behind anyway. Plus, it wasn’t my latest or most rushed arrival of the season. One time I missed half of a girl’s game because I decided to take a nap before the games. On Tuesday, I made a run to get food between games on and rushed into the first quarter of the boy’s game with a Monster and half-eaten sandwich in one hand, and my camera in the other.

Once I arrived at the gym, I found that the girls were still warming up and that I had a few minutes left to spare. The majority of the stands were filled with shades of blue and white Bulldog supporters, as well as a couple bleachers of red and black for the Bearcats. The Dawg Pound was filled with students decked out in whatever white apparel they owned to match the theme of the night.

After the girls starting lineups were announced and the national anthem was performed by the AHS Pep Band, the ball was tossed into the air above center court, commencing the game. A strong tension between the two teams could be felt, even from the balcony seats. Both teams came onto the court ready to play their hardest.

Autumn Hoff
The ball switched possession so often between the teams at one point, that I rarely had enough time to catch a quick glimpse at the photos I had just taken. The ball would be passed amongst the Bulldog players and make its way towards the hoop, until it either fell through the white netting or directly into the hands of the Bearcat players. The players would then rush down to the opposite side of the court, have the same occurence happen, then come right back down to my end.

As the girls arrived on my end of the court, my lens was often blocked with the black and white stripes of a referee’s shirt. This got to be especially frustrating when it got to the point that I would do a sort of dance behind the ref, attempting to get out from behind him, only to have him move in the same direction as me, blocking my shot yet again.

In the limited time that the girls were on the opposite end of the court, people would rush in front of me to cross the gym. Although I usually wouldn’t be taking a shot when they passed by, many still apologized for rushing past the camera. My favorite passerby of the night was a little guy, only a few years old, chanting “go big blue” as he passed by.

After a well-played game, the Lady Bulldogs pulled a win over the Lady Bearcats with a final score of 64-56.

During the 20 minute break between the games, I decided to make a quick run to a nearby gas station to grab a drink and something to munch on. This time, I made it back with plenty of time to spare, instead of a rushed last minute entrance.

As the boys entered the court, the tension created during the girls game seemed minimal compared to the much more aggressive tension that led to several pile-ups during the boys game. This high tension has been built up since last year’s game, in which former senior, Brody Brennan ended up ramming into a brick wall, which led to a memorable game that ended with the presence of three police officers.

Autumn Hoff
The tension in the boys game was not restricted to the court. Fans from both teams were very vocal, especially when there was a call by a ref that they did not like. One fan, serving as a crowd controller, got so angered at one point that he stood up and walked off to the side to cool off. Even current Head Coach Michael Baker, normally a fairly easy-going fellow ,was shouting in anger by the time third quarter rolled around.

The Bulldogs put up a good fight and played their hardest, but in the end, they fell to the Bearcats with a final score of 42-63.

Even though we didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for in the boys game, they were both very well played by both teams. Thank you to the basketball players for a good, entertaining game and good luck with the rest of the season!