The Marist girls basketball team kicked off their home opener on November 29 against Lincoln-Way Central at 7 p.m. The Knights took the win over the RedHawks.

“It’s exciting for the girls basketball season to start up again,” said spectator Brother Rich, who has been to almost every home game.

As the junior varsity game ended, more people began to fill the crowd. The energy grew as the teams were finishing up their warm ups, and got ready for game time. 

“It was fun seeing the gym get more packed and see that a lot of people came and supported the girls,” said spectator Isabelle McGrane.

It was time for the game to start and the girls were ready. It was an exciting game in the first half. In the first quarter the Redhawks were down 5-11 against the Knights. The RedHawks offense was not scoring, but their defense was strong.

In the second quarter the RedHawks’ defense and offense stepped up towards the end of the quarter. The bench and the crowd were all invested. The score was neck and neck but the RedHawks took the lead. 

At the end of the half the score was 19-16. The RedHawks were led by junior Madison Vrdolyak with 6 points, freshman Caroline Flynn with 5 points, freshman Grace Harmon with 4 points and senior Elizabeth Badke with 2 points.

When the RedHawks returned back to the court after halftime, the girls were fired up. In the third quarter, the RedHawks had the lead the whole time but the Knights were right behind them.

Throughout the whole game it was close, but in the fourth quarter the Knights took a strong lead. Marist’s defense was just not enough and they could not score. The Knights surged ahead. The clock hit zero and the final score ended up being 42-29.

It was a tough finish, but may work to the girls’ advantage in the long run. The season has only just begun.

“It’s fun playing better competition. It motivates me to work harder,” said freshman Marist basketball starter, Grace Harmon.