By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
ONE FEATHER STAFF
The stands were not full, but the building was full of enthusiasm, nostalgia, and fun as the first annual Cherokee Lady Braves Alumni basketball game was held on the afternoon of Saturday, March 24 in the Charles George Memorial Arena. The game, organized by Kelsey Jackson (Class of 2011), featured players from the 1970s to the 2010s.
“The main idea was really just getting everyone back together,” said Jackson. “You always hear ‘Once a Brave, Always a Brave’ whether it’s a Brave or Lady Brave, and that’s what I’ve come to learn.”
INSIDE: Tashina Rodriguez, Lady Braves gold team, works inside against Rayna Davis, Lady Braves maroon team, during Saturday’s Alumni game. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
She added, “One of my favorite parts of high school was being around my friends.”
The game itself featured players who graduated from Cherokee High School and played at least a season as a Lady Brave. Of the alumni game itself, Jackson commented, “I’ve never known us to have one so I wanted to coordinate one and make it an annual game. We had a lot of obstacles to overcome in this one and it’s not as grand as I wanted it to be, but we’re already planning for next year so hopefully it’s a lot bigger than this.”
The players were divided into two teams – a Maroon team and a Gold team. The game itself was quite competitive. The Maroon team held a slight lead at halftime 33-30 and extended that to 50-39 by the end of the third quarter. They kept cruising and went on for the 73-48 victory over the Gold team.
“It feels great,” Mary “Missy” Crowe (Class of 1981) said after the game. “To be able to have several decades – the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s – of Lady Braves out here is pretty cool.”
Taran Swimmer (Class of 2014) was the youngest player on the court. A student at Western Carolina University, she commented, “It was really fun because I haven’t played basketball since I left high school. Getting back here you’re part of that Cherokee team again and that was really special because you don’t get that everywhere you go.”
GROUP: Cherokee Lady Braves from several decades gather at center court of the Charles George Memorial Arena for a group shot during halftime of the first annual CHS Lady Braves Alumni basketball game on the afternoon of Saturday, March 24.
