As the lights go down, the spotlights turn on, and excitement fills the air, students get ready for the return of Midnight Madness. Due to COVID-19, this event was canceled last year, meaning that the last Midnight Madness was two years ago.

“It was just an overall really fun experience,” senior Molly Marino remarks.

To kick off the event on Nov, 23, the boys and girls varsity basketball teams were introduced both as a team and one by one. 

After introductions, the night headed straight into the 3-point contest. Three boys and three girls were chosen to shoot 25 baskets and attempt to make as many as they could. Then finalists Hailey Jolliff (12) and Carter Ashby (10) were chosen to compete against each other in the finals. It was a close game with Ashby winning with 16 baskets and Jolliff close behind with only 13.

“It felt great to represent the boys in the 3-point contest. It could have been any of us who competed, it just happened to be my night,” Ashby said after the contest.

After the 3-point contest, things were kicked into high gear as the boys rushed the court to begin their very own dunk contest. At first, no one could sink one until junior Nate Bobikiewicz stepped up and dominated the floor with an amazing dunk.

“It felt really good having my first dunk in front of a bunch of people,” Bobikiewicz said afterward. Soon after, many other boys followed suit with dunks of their own. 

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As the dunk contest concluded, two athletes from both the boys and girls teams began gearing up for a relay race. Athletes had to dribble through cones, make a layup, and a 3-pointer before passing to their teammate to do the same. The boys dominated this event winning both of the relays.

It was after the relay that things got interesting. Students were pulled from the crowd to participate in their own competition. They were tasked with making a free throw, a 3-pointer, and a half-court shot. Molly Marino, one of the participants said, “It was really cool feeling like a part of it when I wasn’t supposed to be and I thought it was really cool that they included that.” 

Then came the final competition. A giant shooting contest between the boys and girls ended with the winner making a half-court shot. The girls took a lead early on with the boys close behind but it all came down to the final half-court shot. Tensions were running high as shot after shot missed but then, due to the combined efforts of Jolliff and Tess Roberts (12), the girls made their half-court shot and secured the win. When asked what their strategy was, Roberts jokingly said “Everyone I think just chucked it.”

The night rounded out with an amazing performance from the Belles and Bros, which is the combined efforts of the varsity dance team and a couple of senior and junior boys. They practiced every AI for 4-5 weeks to prepare for their performance and it turned out amazing.

“It’s fun doing something that’s not serious and competitive,” varsity dancer Marino remarked. 

Midnight Madness has gotten people excited for the basketball season and even helped the athletes too.

“It was fun being in that type of environment with the student section back in the gym,” Ashby said. “We are all looking forward to having that continue for the rest of the season.”