Ten seconds left of the game. Hearts racing. Minds thinking a million miles an hour. The girls and boys varsity basketball teams faced the Swartz Creek Dragons for their first home games on Dec. 8. Winning 77-47 the girls now have an overall of record on 2-1 and a conference record 1-0. The boys lost 43-42 with an overall record 0-2 and conference record 0-1.

“Playing my first varsity home basketball game was really fun,” freshman Korryn Smith said. “I am really happy that we got to start off a great season with a win. Being the only freshman on the team I definitely had my moments, but once I got into my rhythm I think I ended up doing really well tonight. My first game was nerve wracking, but today I was a little nervous because a lot of students came to support, but I was able to adjust and get used to it. In the upcoming season I hope to continue winning games and also to just have a good time with my teammates.”

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PHOTO Katelyn Wallace

Junior Chloe Idoni goes up for the basket during the girls varsity game on Friday Dec 8. The girls took a win against the Dragons with a score of 77-47.

The girls were able to retain the lead the entire time. For some of the seniors however, the last, first home game caused many emotions to run through their minds.

“This game is really bitter-sweet,” senior Margaret Berry said. “This season is going to come to an end quickly and you have to cherish every second of it. Winning tonight was super exciting and was definitely a team effort. Everyone was in it and it felt really good. This upcoming season I look forward to just the team in general because we’re a really unique team this year. We’re all super close with one another already and it’s only the beginning of December which makes it really special.”

Coached by Rebecca Moore, the girls varsity team had a combined total of 77 points, 23 rebounds and six assists. While the boys varsity team went back and forth with the Dragons but ended up coming one point short in the end.

“Tonight the team played really, really well,” varsity boys basketball coach John Gilbert said. “I’m really proud of them. Tuesday (against Lakeland High School – White Lake) we struggled, but today they bounced back and played a great game and did everything that they were supposed to do. We played with a lot of energy and heart and we just came up one point short. Last year we had a lot of guys that didn’t get a lot of minutes last year. We have some juniors as well as seniors that didn’t get a lot of playing time, so they will just continue to get better and better. They are just still trying to figure out what they can do and how to be successful, so tonight was a big step. Swartz Creek is a good team, they’re very athletic so us taking into it was was a very good step for us. We just have to keep working and keep getting better.”

The boys kicked off the game leading all the way to the third quarter 37-35. However, in the fourth quarter Swartz Creek scored eight points and Fenton only five.

“At the end of the game, we played really good defense,” sophomore Addison McIntosh said. “In the upcoming season I look forward to winning games and having fun with my teammates. Being the only sophomore on the team, there isn’t much pressure put one me. We all just think about each other as players equally. Working hard everyday and putting in work will hopefully help me to continue to improve throughout the season.”

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PHOTO Emma Senyko

The boys played in a matchup against Swartz Creek on Friday Dec. 8. The game however ended in a loss with a score of 43-42.

McIntosh was the second most scoring player with 11 points behind senior David Pietryga with 18 points. Many other players also put points on the board for the Tigers, like Nolan Lawrence who scored nine points throughout the game.

“Coming out at the half was exciting,” senior Nolan Lawrence said. “We were looking forward to getting out there for the second half. The second half was up and down. We knew we had to get a bucket but we didn’t follow through. We competed and gave it all we got. Hopefully as the season progresses we’ll continue to get better as a team. It’s crazy knowing that this is our last first home game, it flies by.”

Both the boys and girls will play Brandon on Dec. 5, the boys will be away at Brandon High School while the girls will be home. Both games start at 7 p.m.