On the 25th of February, the SSFS Men’s Varsity Basketball team won the 2023 PVAC championships against Berman Hebrew Academy 70-65. It was an extremely close game with the first quarter score being 18-17, second quarter score 28-39, and third quarter score 53-45. The game constantly went back and forth, leaving everybody standing up on the tip of their toes trying to catch the best view of the court over the dozens of hands applauding. Of course, students were confident in our Varsity Men’s team but nobody knew who was going to come out on top in the end due to the constantly fluctuating scoreboard. It was anyone’s game, and Berman was fast and determined. Though the students were extremely nervous about what the outcome would be, that never stopped the student section, parents, and teachers from showing an abundant amount of school spirit. The entire time students stood up on the bleachers chanting for our team and rooting for our players; at one point students even began singing the George Fox song in unison. One of the best examples of student enthusiasm was when senior, Alessandro Stephans, performed a front flip on the court while there was a time out in the 4th quarter.

As soon as the buzzer went off every student jumped off the bleachers and rushed the court, surrounding our players whilst in celebration. Sophomore, Jacob Cox, achieved the honor of being the MVP and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Every student was present and proudly encircling the players as they took their photo with the championship banner. That night every SSFS student was connected and embodied what it means to be a strong community. In fact, the excitement was so high following the game that Bruce Nkala, SSFS Athletic Director, had to begin to turn off the gym lights to signal to the students that it was time to leave. Overall, it was one of the most exciting, and definitely the most memorable games of the 2022-2023 varsity basketball season. A huge shout out to the seniors Cyrus Chisolm, Noah Jones, and Miles Jones for an outstanding season and congratulations to the entire team on winning the PVAC basketball championships for two years in a row!