The Rice Memorial High School faculty basketball team came out on top over the senior team, edging them out 6-4 during the Winter Pep Rally.

“On account of the periods being so short and the score being so close, I was on the edge of my seat while rooting for the seniors,” said senior Miriam Callan. “Everyone was contributing positively and having fun, which was great to see.” 

Counselor Tyler Barron scored the winning shot on an easy layup during the “Golden Basket Overtime”.

History teacher Matt Bergeron, history teacher Nicole Menard, math teacher Will Widen, counselor Rachel Rabbin and librarian Genevieve Trono rounded out the faculty team for the 6 v. 6 game.

The seniors were represented by Coleton Merchant, Sharmarke Hassan, Finley Strong, Sadie Levinson, and Henry Monaghan. They advanced to the finals after beating the juniors and then coming out on top over the freshmen in the semi-finals.

Many students assumed the seniors would win.

“I thought the kids were going to win,” said freshman Lan Doan, “But the teachers were passing the ball, signaling, flying through the air and [throwing] the ball pretty far. It was pretty cool.”

Merchant won the tip-off against Barron and sent the ball to Hassan, who dribbled up the court and hit a jump shot for two points.

Then Barron hit a layup to open the scoring for the faculty team.

Merchant added another two points to the senior’s score, making the score 4-2. “Berg” tied it up for the faculty, sending it into overtime and earning a roar of approval from the crowd.

After two overtime periods, the game then went into “sudden death”. Both teams had multiple scoring opportunities but could not pull ahead. Finally, Rabbin got the ball and launched it to Barron who made a layup to score the game-winning shot.

Although some seniors were disappointed by the loss, the majority of the crowd cheered enthusiastically.

“People like the teachers and love Mr. Barron, so they were really excited about [the win,]” said Doan.