***This article was written by Hallee Switzer, a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
During the school day on Friday, Feb. 14, the Kewanee Life Skills basketball team secured a nail-biting victory over the Kewanee Police Department.
Kewanee High School had a two-hour early out on Friday and rearranged its shortened schedule to allow students, staff and members of the public to come together and bring the game to life.
The Boilers’ cheerleaders and dance team kept the crowd roaring throughout the showdown. The referees, all of them veterans of the varsity basketball team, kept the game running smoothly, and the jumbotron technicians gave the players a taste of fame.
The first quarter started off in Kewanee’s favor by a score of 8-4. The second quarter followed a similar pattern. The standout performance in the first half came from Trenton Stanley, who made a three-pointer and brought the score to 19-4 at the end of the second quarter.
After performances from the dance and cheer teams, students attempted half-court shots for $1. If they made their shot, they received a free Pizza Hut pizza.
Though many Boilermakers came close to scoring, only junior Mason Frail made a bucket. KHS’s Life Skills Program earned $47 in the halftime competition.
The Kewanee Police Department made considerable progress after halftime. Going into the fourth quarter, it was uncertain which side would emerge victorious.
The highlight of the second half came when Officer Hamilton was escorted out of Brockman Gym by his fellow officers (all in good fun) for holding onto senior Korbin Kidd during live play.
The hard-fought battle ended with the Life Skills team beating KPD by a score of 40-39.
The top scorers for the Boilers included:
Korbin Kidd – 11 pts.
Shiv Patel – 10 pts.
Jasmine Torres – 10 pts.
Kyle Smith – 6 pts.
Trenton Stanley – 6 pts.
Vanessa Duarte – 4 pts.
