Senior night is a nationwide tradition that celebrates high school seniors in their respective sports. This past Saturday, parents and students gathered at Lakewood High School to watch the girls’ varsity basketball seniors walk out with their families for a pregame ceremony. For many, it’s one of their last high school sports games. This night is the last time they can play for their coach and their friends, making it really hard for the seniors.
For the Lady Rangers’ senior night, the girls played the Medina-Buckeye Bucks. Not only was this their senior night game, but this game was also a rivalry between two teams in the same conference.
Around noon, the senior night celebration started. Seniors Addison Garrett, Paisley Norris and Ruby Fraunfelder gathered with their families to walk out. As they walked, a PA announcer read their personal bios and future plans to the cheering crowd.
Senior night is more than just a celebration; it’s recognition. For the last three years, these senior girls have been putting in the hours and effort to be the best they can be. However, all great things must come to an end. This night shows the dedication, resilience, and determination the girls have been building their whole lives.
Varsity head coach Julie Work, who has coached for nearly eight years, emphasized the deep-rooted bond of this specific group.
“When you look at the pictures of the girls, it’s all from their youth days,” Work said. “That’s because this group of girls has been playing together for seven to nine years.”
The Medina-Buckeye Bucks got out to an early lead to end the first; they were knocking down threes, playing great defense, and overall flowing on the court. By halftime, Lakewood trailed by 10 points.
After the half, it seemed like a whole new game. Lakewood came out of the gate with renewed intensity. Trapping on defense, hitting their threes, and showing that the Lady Rangers never back down.
One thing that definitely contributed to their comeback was the student section. Because of the senior night festivities, the stands were packed to the brim with students cheering on and hyping up their classmates.
“We were down at halftime, so coming out for the second half, it was really cool to see the people cheering,” Work said. “Coach Higgs from the boys’ teams getting his boys there just added to the momentum we needed to get the win.”
The development in these girls over the years has been apparent. Senior Payton Kratz has been friends with and classmates with the girls since the start.
“It’s really nice to see all my friends get commended for something that I know they have been working for. Even giving up their summers and offseason to continue to practice shows their dedication to the program,” Kratz said. “I’m glad that the turnout for these girls was good, too. All the fans cheering just adds something to the night that couldn’t be replicated.”
The gym was decorated with things like flowers, posters, and a collage of each girl with photos of their youth days on it. Despite what the name implies, senior night isn’t necessarily about the seniors leaving. It’s a chance for the younger generation of players to honor their mentors and leaders.
“Normally, the boys’ games are the event with the most energy. However, today, Lakewood really showed out for their seniors,” senior Henry Mossman said. “I’m glad I got to see the people I’ve known forever get their chance to shine for a night and come out with a big win.”
Now, this game was not the last of the season. The girls have a short road trip to close out the regular season. Having received their playoff draw last week, they are set to face Avon in the first round.
“We beat them once earlier in the season, but it’s very hard to beat the same team twice in a row,” Work said. “We just hope all the hours spent practicing can be translated to a real stage.”
If you have the chance to attend a senior night, bring your loudest cheers to give these leaders a memorable send-off. The Lady Rangers take on the Avon Eagles in the playoffs on Feb. 25.
