“Hey you Bobcat fans. Let me see you rock those stands!”

I remember screaming that line so many times in high school, trying desperately to pump up the crowd, and hearing crickets. Stone-faced student sections would look at us half-heartedly. Maybe one or two moms who felt sorry for us would chime in, but usually our cheers were very one-sided.

So needless to say, to hear 1,000 fans screaming their hearts out at Brandywine was beyond exhilarating.

Tuesday night, Brandywine hosted the girls basketball regionals for the first time in history. The Michigan High School Athletic Association sent 1,000 tickets to tear off and give to guests at the gate, and the gatekeepers sold all of them and then some.

After last year’s heartbreaking loss to New Buffalo during district finals, it’s so heartwarming to see the unceasing support our community has for both basketball teams — and to be able to do it at home is even more riveting.

I’ve been so impressed this year by the push for good sportsmanship and the shocking number of fans at schools all over our coverage area.

As a cheerleader in high school, I remember plenty of games where it seemed like there were fewer fans in the stands than cheerleaders on the sidelines, and even when there were plenty of fans, getting people fired up with positive comments was always a challenge. I’ll never forget the basketball games with fans screaming obscenities, or welcoming other schools with our “hello cheer,” only to have objects thrown at us. To see so many people cheering positive messages for their own teams instead of negative messages at their opponents has been a breath of fresh air.

It’s funny to think that not too long ago, girls basketball in the Lakeland Conference was practically an afterthought, with games often conflicting with football matchups and tiny crowds of parents and boyfriends.

I still remember how mad people were when Lakeland Conference made the switch to play girls and boys basketball seasons in the winter instead of in consecutive seasons in order to give the girls more of a presence in the athletic schedule. When the athletic director told the cheerleading squad we had to cheer for girls basketball instead of going on the road, we thought we’d be cheering for literally empty stands. It didn’t take long for the girls to gain just as large a following as the boys team, though, and judging by their successes, it’s no wonder why.

It has been so exciting to see Josh Hood build this program over the last six years. With six conference championships, five district championships and a handful of regional championships, the ladies in maroon and gold have plenty of which to be proud.

I can’t wait to see the girls play for the regional championships on their home court tonight. Though this is one of the youngest teams Coach Hood has led since taking over the girls program, these ladies have a fire in them and an overwhelming desire to win, and I have no doubt they have it in them.

I’ll be there tonight cheering on the Lady Cats, and I hope to see every single seat in the gymnasium filled.

All you Bobcat fans, I can’t wait to see you rock those stands.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.