The first-ever Red and White Spirit Night had the fieldhouse bouncing Tuesday night, Feb. 3, as both the varsity girls and boys basketball teams represented Homestead against inner conference rival Nicolet.

“It was a great night, and we appreciate all the efforts from the coordinators and all of the fans that came out to support the teams! It is really special when we can get both programs playing and showing our support for each other; it means a lot to the players,” coach Kevin McKenna, said on Tuesday night.

The Lady Highlanders kicked off the evening with a statement 47-30 victory over the Knights.  The Highlanders played tight defense and caused multiple turnovers which allowed chances for fast breaks and easy transition buckets for Homestead. The girls fought tooth-and-nail in the first half, closing out the first part of the game with a ten point lead.

Lockdown defense was the name of the game for the second half as the Highlanders only allowed eight points over the course of the entire half. Creating a 15-8 run in the second half, Homestead never looked back, disallowing a possible comeback for the Knights.  The girls went deep into the rotation, giving all its bench players opportunities to play as well as score during Tuesday night’s game.

“I thought we did some good things defensively and made it difficult for them to get good looks at the basket. Offensively, we continue to get better, our basketball concepts are improving. We are now looking for more consistency with this and I think we are ready,” said coach Corey Wolf

Boys Basketball had the tough task of following up the girls’ standout performance.  Coach McKenna and company set a statement in the first quarter, dropping fourteen points to Nicolet’s zero. Homestead successfully shut out its opponent for the duration of the first quarter.

Nicolet came out with something to prove in the second quarter, matching Homestead’s fourteen first quarter points but still had no answers for Homestead’s offense as it allowed twelve points to the Mighty Highlanders.  However, Nicolet’s first quarter deficit was too much to overcome for the Knights as the closest it would get to the Highlanders would be eight points by the end of the third.

Homestead would proceed to play the basketball we are all accustomed to seeing as it swung back in the fourth and pulled away and finished the game up 52-39.  Jaylen Key, senior, provided a scoring spark for Homestead once again as he compiled 24 points in three quarters of play.

Just like the girls, the boys basketball team also had an opportunity to go deep into its bench allowing non-starters to get quality minutes. “It feels really good. It gives you a sense of relief knowing that the coaches have trust in you and your abilities to run the offense and be a facilitator. I don’t take these types of opportunities for granted and I hope the team and myself continue to excel,” Devonta Parker, senior, said.

“I was really happy that we were able to play everyone and I was especially impressed with our bench players defense, I thought they did an outstanding job,” Coach McKenna had to say about his bench execution Tuesday night. However Coach McKenna added that the team as a whole needs to “play more consistently and with a higher sense of urgency, but we keep making strides and improving.”

A vast crowd was in attendance for the Red and White Spirit Night as the crowd watched, cheered and celebrated the highlander basketball teams.  During both half times there were opportunities to participate in spirit activities as well as a 50/50 raffle.

“I think the varsity double-header idea is a great way to showcase our programs in general.  Adding special spirit activities just adds to the energy of the evening.  Overall, the night was a great way to celebrate Homestead basketball and spread Highlander pride across our programs,” Principal Brett Bowers said.

Coach Wolf added that, “Red White Spirit Night was a huge success. It brought in a large crowd for both games which brings energy to the teams playing. There also were a lot of future Highlanders and their families who came out to support the programs. The basketball programs don’t get a lot of opportunities to support each other in person, so it is always nice for our players and coaches to get the chance to do this.  Also, a huge thank you to all the volunteers and organizers.”

You can check out the team’s promotional videos here.