Monday night’s 66-17 win by the Macomb High girls basketball team over Farmington may have lacked drama, but not emotion.
It was senior night for the Bombers at Washington Street Gym. Players Ella Hare, Jordan Hines, Destiny Monroe, Jordyn Shoopman, Dakota Thorman and Sophie Wilson, along with manager Bryson Lidaywa, were honored prior to the contest.
An act of sportsmanship from Farmington opened the contest.
Hare, who suffered a knee injury during volleyball season that required surgery, took the floor to start the game.
The Bombers allowed the Farmers to score an uncontested layup for the game’s first points. But Farmington allowed Hare to score a layup before being removed from the contest.
The remaining four senior starters all touched the ball before Shoopman passed the ball to Hare for the score.
The game was then halted as the Bomber seniors, including Monroe who replaced Hare in the lineup, met in a group hug with Hare before she left the floor.
“That was pretty big for everyone,” said Hines of Hare starting. “After she made the first two points, everybody got emotional on and off the court.”
“It was a good memory to have and see,” she added. “It reminded me of volleyball and to have the opportunity to go out and play again for her senior night, which was really pretty special.”
“I felt so happy for her,” added Shoopman of Hare. “I’m so glad she’s still trying to be part of the team. She’s the majority of the reason I decided to come back (to basketball). To play for her.”
“It felt real good to have my teammates there that I’ve been growing up with forever. They’ve all just uplifted me,” said an emotional Hare, who was fighting off tears. “It’s real bittersweet that I’m not going to play this year. But that moment made me feel good about myself, making that basket. Just being out there with them. I felt really just happy.”
“They’re my best friends,” she added. “They mean a lot to me. They change my mood. They make me feel at home.”
“It was good for the girls morale,” said Macomb coach Justin Elbe. “They’re so close. They’re a close-knit team, the seniors especially.”
“It’s very tough for a 17, 18 year-old girl to go through what she’s gone through,” he added. “To be able to come out here and get a bucket, it was a good night for her and her family.”
“She’s been here for every practice, every game,” Elbe noted. “She’s gone through everything. We’ve been very fortunate to have her. She’s a big part of our team.”
Meanwhile, for Shoopman, she joined the team this season, having not played since junior high.
“I needed to be able to have confidence in myself to play basketball again,” said Shoopman. “But really it’s my friends and their families that have encouraged me, brought me back, and then encouraged me to continue to get better at the sport.”
“I wouldn’t be able to get through basketball, or anything without them,” Shoopman added of her classmates. “They’re a really big part of my life right now, especially because I’m a senior. They’ve really encouraged me through everything.”
“(Her classmates) talked her into coming back out after not having played for four years,” said Elbe. “That’s how close they are.”
“It’s been good to see here come out and be with the team,” he added. “She’s an emotional spark to us.”
As for the contest itself, the five senior starters all scored in the opening eight minutes as the Bombers flew out to a 14-6 lead.
The Macomb defense then controlled the second quarter, holding Farmington scoreless on the way to building a 30-6 halftime advantage.
MHS put together its best offensive effort of the night in the third period as seven players combined to score 21 points. That helped the home team build a 51-13 advantage heading into the final minutes.
Of the 13 players dressed for Macomb, 11 scored led by Hines with 15 points and Wilson with 12 points.
Thorman and Shoopman followed with nine and eight points respectively for the Bombers.
Reese Watson added seven points for MHS, while Aubrey Holthaus had four points and Olivia Clark three points.
Monroe, Hare, Grace O’Hern, and Brooklyn Lyles chipped in two points apiece for the victors.
“I’ve been very blessed to be able to coach these girls,” said Elbe. “They’ve bought in from day one from when practice started in November. They listen well. They play hard. They play as hard as they can for as long as they can.”
“These girls expect a lot from themselves,” he added. “Every practice they push themselves. They never shy away from trying something new if they know it’s going to help the team. That’s a true testament to these girls.”
Lynsey Shriber topped Farmington (7-14) with eight points. Andree Wright and Ella Essex added five and four points respectively for the Farmers.
Macomb (15-9) returned to WSG Thursday to face Mendon Unity (11-13) in a rematch of the contest played Jan. 19 as part of the Jerry Logan Shootout in Carthage.
The Bombers won 51-49 in overtime.
Following that contest, MHS will have just three regular season games remaining.
When asked about what advice she would give to younger players, Hare said “Play every moment as you can. Don’t take a day for granted. Enjoy what you do because it’s going to be gone one day.”
Senior Destiny Monroe Photo by Andrea Ratterman
