In a battle that came down to the wire, the students and staff tied in the Winter Rally basketball game when the seniors staged a furious comeback in the last period.

During the final few seconds of the fourth quarter, with the staff up 13-10, Dean of Students Craig Tuana fouled senior Austin Poore while Poore was attempting a three-point shot. Poore was awarded three free throws and, to a cheering crowd, sunk all three, tying the game at 13-13.

Senior Kevin Dukovic, who also racked up points for the students, felt Poore’s performance stood out.

“Austin Poore … hit those three free throws at the end,” Dukovic said. “That was pretty impressive.”

Overall, Dukovic thought the result of the game was satisfactory.

“Going into the fourth quarter we weren’t really expecting much, so … I’m somewhat happy with the result because at least we didn’t lose,” Dukovic said.

On the staff’s side, Dukovic thought physical education teacher Peter Diepenbrock had an exceptional moment in the first quarter.

“Coach Diepenbrock hit that big three in the beginning so obviously that stood out,” Dukovic said.

Diepenbrock helped the staff take the lead in the first few minutes of the game – a lead which they held until the final quarter with points by several other staff members, including history teacher Adam Yonkers and Associated Student Body Director Matt Hall.

Junior Jonathan Kosaka, who attended the rally, thought the students were entertaining during warmups and also outplayed the staff.

“I really enjoyed the students’ performances,” Kosaka said. “[Senior] Josh Stabinsky was a solid player. In warmups he did some pretty good moves and that was pretty fun to watch.”

Aside from the basketball game, the Winter Rally also included performances from the band, the dance team and the cheer team.

Kosaka praised these aspects of the rally for providing excitement during the slower parts of the rally.

“The band was nice because in between each quarter they played their music,” Kosaka said. “It was nice to have some background music while you’re just kind of sitting there waiting for things to get going. … They [the cheer and dance teams] are always fun to watch every year. It’s fun to come out and support them in whatever they do.”

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