Paly’s quad night ended victoriously with a win over Homestead for each of Paly’s four basketball teams.
“We’ve been psyched for quad night for a month,” varsity team member, junior Katie Barich said. “Quad nights are the best. There is a much higher energy level. Even the other teams’ fans help. The adrenaline makes you play better, jump higher and run faster.” Girls varsity won with a final score of 59-39.
Although the crowd was fairly small at the beginning of the night, consisting of mainly underclassmen and families of the players, the bleachers were packed by the time the boys’ varsity game started. They won with a final score of 59-34, while boys junior varsity won with a final score of 58-34.
“I think it [quad night] is a much more school-wide event,” boys’ varsity coach Peter Diepenbrock said. “There are generally more Palo Alto High School fans. Crowds end up being significantly bigger.”
According to Diepenbrock, quad night draws more students to the games since it is a convenient way to see both boys and girls play. Many students who do not usually go to games choose quad night as one of the select games to attend.
“I like the [quad night’s] atmosphere,” sophomore Ben Afshar said. “It’s really energetic. It’s just fun to be around.”
Brian Karvelas, parent of a member of boys’ varsity, also notices a significantly bigger turnout of students at quad night.
“I go to all the games,” Karvelas said. “At quad night, there’s definitely more school spirit. I see lots of people I don’t usually see.”
Quad night is also the first game of the league, according to Kheaton Scott, a member of the boys’ varsity team. Teams had been playing pre-season games up until quad night. Quad night is the official kickoff of league play.
“It [quad night] is a great environment,” Scott said. “It gets you pumped up. I’m excited for the league to start.”
According to Kevin Trimble, another member of the boys’ varsity team, the energy from the crowd not only gets the players excited, but also improves their performance on the court.
“When the crowd cheers it gets you pumped up. It definitely helps our game. We’ve been looking forward to this game for a while, so we’re really excited.”