Boys basketball celebrates senior night with a win
Senior Dayne Grays shoots a three-pointer during the first quarter of the game vs State College. Grays scored 7 points in the 54-39 upset win on senior night.
On Feb 5, CHS boys’ varsity played their final home game against State College. This game was also very special to the seniors.
“It [will be] a huge game for our seven seniors who have given their all and put in their blood, sweat, and tears to the Carlisle Basketball Program for four years!” said Coach Andre Anderson before the game. “We respect them for that and can’t wait to see them on their special night.”
The seniors that are on the varsity team are Dayne Grays, Jamal Spells, Clay Burkett, Howie Rankine, Ben Nix, Kurtis Ravenal, and Trevor Hamilton. Before the game warm-ups, the team celebrated these seven teammates by having them walk out with their parents.
The players also had a very positive mindset going into the game.
“I [felt] that as a team we [would] play a good game and come out with a win in our last home game of the year,” said Burkett.
Burkett has made a huge impact on the varsity team this year as one of the top scorers in his final season for the Herd.
Freshman Dylan Young also was affected by the seniors this year considering he was the only freshman on varsity.
“The seniors only affected me in positive ways,” said Young. “They’ve shown and taught me how to play at a higher level along with teaching me how to play at a higher level along with teaching me how to play and work as a team.”
Grays started the game along with Spells, Burkett, Nix, and Ravenel. Grays shined while scoring the Herd’s first seven points, a three-pointer, and two layups.
“It was a fun experience, but sad at the same time,” Grays said. “I’m just glad all the seniors ended the last home game on a good note. It felt good to score [seven points] on my first night starting.”
Once halftime arrived, seniors Xavier Kellam, Christian Kuhn, William Mosinski, and a Carlisle police officer attempted to make a half-court shot. None of them made the shot, but it kept fans active during halftime.
During a halftime award presentation from the U.S. Army, there was also a heartfelt surprise. Senior Ben Nix was expecting to receive an award for his performance this season; what he (and also his sister Morgan, a CHS junior) didn’t expect to see their father, who had been serving in Afghanistan for the past seven months, as the one who was presenting it to Ben. This moment brought tears to many of the audience members’ eyes and has been shared widely on social media since the game.
The boisterous student section was wearing all white to support senior night. The Carlisle Crazies were very supportive throughout the game.
The leader of the student section, senior Armin Begic was very proud of the group this season.
“It truly is a lot of work but it’s work that I enjoy,” said Begic. “I love sports and enjoy cheering for all the sports. It brings me closer to many people in the school.”
Begic added, “It’s also a big responsibility, and I have to make we have everything correct. We have to see what the rest of the students would like and we also have to make sure everything that happens at the game stays school appropriate.”
All in all, the game was deemed a success by the fans and players alike.
“The senior night game went very well; as a team, we all played well and knocked off one of the top teams in our conference,” said Burkett. “Couldn’t have ended any better.”
The final score was 54-39. The final game of the season is away against Susquehanna Township on Feb 8.
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Shayna Rhoads is a freshman at Carlisle High School, and is a staff writer on Periscope. She loves to talk to people and get to know new things every day....
