Brandon High School junior Savannah Stedman has made several key shots as a member of the Blackhawks? varsity girls basketball team.
Perhaps none, though, were more key than the shots she made to help her student teammates defeat a combined Brandon community/administration/teacher team 10-6 in the final game of Brandon’s Donkey Basketball event Monday, Dec. 12 in the BHS gymnasium.
Although the song ‘One Shining Moment? didn’t play in the background, like it does at the close of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s college basketball tournament, a group of Oakland County youngsters will no doubt be happy with the final outcome.
BHS teacher and Student Council advisor Tim Pizzala said the school will donate their share proceeds from the event (about 40 percent of the total proceeds) to the Kids Food Basket, a charitable organization that provides after-school lunches to Oakland County students who otherwise would not have anything to eat after school.
Pizzala said the school district he taught in before coming to Brandon, Saranac (near the Grand Rapids area), sponsored a donkey basketball event which met with great success.
‘It was a blast there, and the kids loved it, so we decided to do it here,? he said.
The company that brought the donkeys to Brandon, Buckeye Donkey Ball Co., based in Ohio, will get the other 60 percent of the proceeds.
The event started off with a game of BHS students vs. BHS teachers. Unfortunately, about 30 seconds into the game, one of the donkeys had to take a time out, so to speak, but BHS student volunteers were on hand to clean up the situation.
The two teams battled to a scoreless tie at the end of regulation, so they went into overtime before Stedman finally hit a shot to give the students the victory.
Next up was the battle of district teachers vs. Brandon firefighters/administrators. This matchup was all in favor of the administrators, who, led by BHS Athletic Director Larry Lamphere, won a 12-6 contest.
After that game, the donkeys took a breather, and then youngsters were allowed to take a ride on the donkeys with the help of the Donkey Basketball participants.
Then it was time for the final game of the evening, BHS students vs. the combined Brandon community/administrators/teachers squad. The students took a 6-4 lead after the first half.
The highlight of the first half was a moment worthy of ESPN’s ‘Sports Center,? when BHS senior Donald Carter, a member of the BHS varsity boys basketball team, attempted a shot for the student team. Carter fell off the donkey, but the shot went in anyway.
In the second half, the Brandon community squad tried to use their experience to get back in the game, but Stedman hit a couple key shots in the second half to give the student team the win.