JUDA - When the Juda Panthers hosted the Barneveld Eagles Friday in girls basketball, the final score had little to do with the aura in the gym.
"The girls stepped up for something more important than the game," Juda head coach Curt Brown said.
The two teams have been raising money for local charities and Gilda's Club of Madison to help support cancer victims and their families. Both squads and the fans in the crowd wore matching black and pink pre-game T-shirts in an effort to raise money and awareness for cancer patients and their families.
"I talked to coach (Jim) Myers before the game and he said it was kind of hard to see which side was which with all the girls wearing the same shirt," Brown said. "I'm really proud of the kids. They really brought things back home. Hopefully we brought in a lot of money."
Barneveld won the game, 58-48.
"I'm very proud of those girls," said Juda school secretary Tracy Lincoln, who helped sell T-shirts and baked good at the game. "When I was their age, I didn't think about these kinds of things. They're more resilient and we're very proud that they would take on this kind of effort."
The players on the team carried jars around school, collecting whatever donations and money they could.
"It's been kind of cool. The students from elementary though middle school and high school put their change in these jars to help support them. I think they raised over $200 just by those jars," said freshman Matt Trotter, who plays on the boys basketball team. "I would like to see our guy's basketball team get involved in something like this. It's really cool."
According to Lincoln, coach Brown collected the most money and will wear all pink clothing to school Monday.
"We're very proud of the girls, because they did this all on their own with Barneveld," said Tara Lund, an art teacher in Juda. "Personally, I had a grandmother die of breast cancer and another grandmother that currently has breast cancer and the girls hear that kind of stuff and want to make a difference, so it's pretty cool."
Lund went on to say that the team's effort to raise money for cancer is different than what her school did when she was in high school.
"It's impressive. We wanted to raise money for prom or for a dance. These girls want to raise money for something truly important that means something later on. When you raise money for a prom or a dance, that's nice, but a dance only lasts one night. This money could really make a difference to somebody," she said.
As for the game, Juda found itself down 16-8 after the first quarter and 26-17 at halftime. However, Brown said his team never gave up and pulled to within five points in the fourth quarter.
Ellen Kiser led the Panthers with 18 points. Heather Boeke had 12 and Larissa Klemm added 11. Courtney Sullivan scored 27 for Barneveld.
"It was nice that we could step up and play with them. The last couple of years they have been one of the top teams in the state and we've had plenty of lopsided losses. Our next challenge is to take the next step and win these kinds of games," Brown said.
The two teams will meet up again Feb. 25 in Barneveld, which is will be the final installment of the "Pink Out" campaign, where the final tally of all the money raised will be announced.
"The girls stepped up for something more important than the game," Juda head coach Curt Brown said.
The two teams have been raising money for local charities and Gilda's Club of Madison to help support cancer victims and their families. Both squads and the fans in the crowd wore matching black and pink pre-game T-shirts in an effort to raise money and awareness for cancer patients and their families.
"I talked to coach (Jim) Myers before the game and he said it was kind of hard to see which side was which with all the girls wearing the same shirt," Brown said. "I'm really proud of the kids. They really brought things back home. Hopefully we brought in a lot of money."
Barneveld won the game, 58-48.
"I'm very proud of those girls," said Juda school secretary Tracy Lincoln, who helped sell T-shirts and baked good at the game. "When I was their age, I didn't think about these kinds of things. They're more resilient and we're very proud that they would take on this kind of effort."
The players on the team carried jars around school, collecting whatever donations and money they could.
"It's been kind of cool. The students from elementary though middle school and high school put their change in these jars to help support them. I think they raised over $200 just by those jars," said freshman Matt Trotter, who plays on the boys basketball team. "I would like to see our guy's basketball team get involved in something like this. It's really cool."
According to Lincoln, coach Brown collected the most money and will wear all pink clothing to school Monday.
"We're very proud of the girls, because they did this all on their own with Barneveld," said Tara Lund, an art teacher in Juda. "Personally, I had a grandmother die of breast cancer and another grandmother that currently has breast cancer and the girls hear that kind of stuff and want to make a difference, so it's pretty cool."
Lund went on to say that the team's effort to raise money for cancer is different than what her school did when she was in high school.
"It's impressive. We wanted to raise money for prom or for a dance. These girls want to raise money for something truly important that means something later on. When you raise money for a prom or a dance, that's nice, but a dance only lasts one night. This money could really make a difference to somebody," she said.
As for the game, Juda found itself down 16-8 after the first quarter and 26-17 at halftime. However, Brown said his team never gave up and pulled to within five points in the fourth quarter.
Ellen Kiser led the Panthers with 18 points. Heather Boeke had 12 and Larissa Klemm added 11. Courtney Sullivan scored 27 for Barneveld.
"It was nice that we could step up and play with them. The last couple of years they have been one of the top teams in the state and we've had plenty of lopsided losses. Our next challenge is to take the next step and win these kinds of games," Brown said.
The two teams will meet up again Feb. 25 in Barneveld, which is will be the final installment of the "Pink Out" campaign, where the final tally of all the money raised will be announced.
