`The girls’ varsity basketball team stole victory away from their rival, Ithaca Feb. 18 at the Shark Tank. The win for the Sharks was a close one 53-52. With the win Sharks were able to keep the Spirit Flag at home in the Shark Tank.
A way to channel the rivalry between the neighboring towns began with the Victory Bell for boys’ football and basketball then later emerged as the flag for the girls’ basketball and volleyball—creating the Spirit Flag. Now the flag, painted with the St. Louis Shark and the Ithaca Yellow Jacket, hangs proudly in the Shark Tank for the fourth year in a row.
A narrow yet skillful win was the highlight of SLHS junior Paige Luneack. Luneack has been playing basketball since she was five years old and was able to score 19 points that night along with 10 rebounds. She said, “I felt really good on the court. I was making a lot of my shots and just kept shooting.” Speaking for the team, she says that their motivation to win was in not letting Ithaca take home the Victory Flag. “I feel happy we won. I dislike Ithaca and can’t imagine losing the flag to them,” Luneack affirms.
Another highlight of the triumph was Emma Pavlik, a freshman on the team. During the night, Pavlik was able to score 17 points. “Out on the court Wednesday night, I felt really pumped up and excited to play our rivals,” she explains. Pavlik agrees that going up against the longtime rival of St. Louis is what gave the team the motivation to win the game. “It feels really good that the flag is here, and it feels like our team represented SLHS very well that night,” she adds.
The long lasting rivalry between St. Louis and Ithaca only made the game more exhilarating, the girls more determined to win, and the victory more delightful. Hopefully the girls will double down on the wins against Ithaca the next time they play them Monday Mar. 2 at districts.
