Lady Vikings collect food, fight hard during game against Bourne
Jan 25, 2020
The Wareham Girls Basketball team with the food they collected for a program that helps other students have enough to eat on weekends. Photo courtesy: Wareham Girls Basketball
A sign at the donation table.
Amanda Johnson makes a free throw.
Olivia Nascimento considers her next move.
The Lady Vikings collected a bounty of food for other students at Friday night’s nail-biter game against Bourne, which they ultimately lost 49-52.
After the game, however, the girls were feeling good about their performance as a team, and about the work they had done to give back to the community.
The food will go to the STAGE Weekend Backpack Food program, which provides easy-to-prepare food for students to make sure they have food to eat over the weekend. Currently, more than 100 students at Minot Forest Elementary and Wareham Middle School participate in the program, which is meant to ensure that kids can come back to school on Monday well-fed and ready to learn.
The team chose the game for the drive because they knew they would have a good turnout due to the fierce rivalry between Bourne and Wareham.
Jane Fondulis, the Director of Beyond School Time, said that the team collected so much donated food that the CARE office was running out of room to store it.
“They did a phenomenal job,” Fondulis said. The organization of the program is fairly complex, as all the food is distributed discreetly so students remain anonymous. Some also receive enough food to feed younger siblings, and Fondulis said the CARE office hopes to expand the program to students of all ages.
The game was hard-fought, as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied 36-36, and Wareham was up 42-40 with only 3:30 left in the game.
The win came down to the final seconds with a Bourne victory of 51-49.
“I thought it was the best game we’ve had,” said Coach Dave Brogioli, who said the team played hard. He attributed the loss to a few missed free throws.
The players were also happy with their performance.
“We’re hoping this is a turning point for the season. Everyone brought 100 percent effort,” said Grace Cerrato, who noted that they had had a rough season so far. The team’s overall record is 3–9.
“Everyone stepped up when they needed to,” said Tiara Duarte.
Cerrato, Duarte, and Amanda Johnson agreed that the team’s strong performance was due in part to their communication, which has improved over the season.
The team’s next home game will be at 6:30 p.m. on February 7 against Dighton-Rehoboth.
Those wishing to donate to the STAGE program can get in touch with Fondulis at fondulis@wareham.k12.us or 508-291-3500, ext. 3555.
