On Tuesday night, February 24, the East Noble boys’ basketball team faced off against the Angola Hornets in the Knight’s last home game of the season. The pep band was in the full force. All seniors who participated in winter sports were honored before the varsity game started. To top it off, the game was “Gold Rush,” where the first 300 fans received a gold East Noble basketball t-shirt. With so many special events going on in the same night at the game, it was a given that the Big Blue Pit was loud and proud supporting their Knights basketball team one last time this season. And the Knights didn’t disappoint.

The Knights narrowly edged out the Hornets by a score of 58-56. In the final seconds of the game, Angola drove the ball down the court and just barely missed a 3-point shot, their last opportunity to make a comeback against the Knights. The ball was rebounded by the Knights as time expired.

“That shot was very close. I think everyone thought it was going in,” commented East Noble’s head coach, Chad Cripe, in a relieved tone.

The win over Angola improved the East Noble’s record to 5-18, which is an improvement on the last two seasons.

“We played really well, and the guys made enough plays to win the game. They played great on Tuesday,” Cripe explained. “It’s never one play that decides the game, it’s the plays that the team makes throughout the game that decide it. The guys did a great job mixing up the defensive schemes and I’m proud of the way that they stuck to the game plan on offense.”

Sophomore Brandon Nichols and the Knights’ newest addition to the team, junior Ren Crump, carried most of the load in the points category, scoring 20 and 29 respectively. But just scoring points didn’t win the game. The whole team contributed on both the offensive and defensive side when it came to rebounds, blocking, and passing the ball around to get the best shots.

“Ren’s a player,” said Cripe. “I’m looking forward to seeing him be a leader on the team going into next season.” Crump has been a tremendous help for the Knights since he moved to East Noble from New Prairie less than a month ago and has shown great leadership since arriving.

Helping support the Knights in their victory over the Hornets was East Noble’s legendary pep band, who was in full force, anything from banging on a massive drum after every free throw a Knight made to initiating chants that echoed into the student section.

“We have the best pep band that I’ve ever seen, and it’s cool to see so many people come together to help encourage the team. The home crowd is definitely a huge factor in any game, and it always gives us a lot of momentum,” Cripe said.

In addition to the cheers, songs, and echoes ringing from the pep band and student section, there was a sea of gold with everyone participating in the gold rush, regardless of whether they received a shirt or not. Adding to the numbers in the stands for East Noble, seniors from all winter sports were recognized, which incited many more people to come to the game.

The Knights stepped up to the plate and were able to work as a team to hold off Angola on Tuesday, showing improvements on both sides of the ball and showing the potential that the team has to be successful, which is why Cripe is optimistic about the remainder of this season, the offseason this fall, and next season.

“We’re showing a lot of improvement and we have a lot of young guys, so I’m excited so see how we improve through the rest of this season, into the offseason, and into next season,” said Cripe.

The boys’ team has one more game left, playing Friday night, February 27, at Leo before Sectional play starts next Friday night, March 6.