by Ann Hawthorne and Alexandra Marston

COURTLAND
Southampton High School had another successful year fundraising and getting students active with the Hoops For Heart basketball game.

Hoops For Heart is a fundraising event organized by the American Heart Association and brought to Southampton in 2016 by Marshall Leonard, a gym and health teacher. This year, Southampton High raised $746 in proceeds for this fundraiser.

Eight teams competed to win the Hoops 4 Heart championship, but only one made it to the top. The winning team, composed with two SHS varsity basketball players, Shamon Reid-Wilkerson and Kee-Sean Carr, took the court by storm and the title.

There was one team that showed it had “heart.”

“I did it for the cause,” said Robert Robertson of Lady Hoopers. The Lady Hoopers stole the hearts of the enormous crowd cheering them on. The Lady Hoopers sadly lost 28 to 0, but their spirit and bouncing energy lived on throughout the crowd.

“It was never about winning. It was about seeing the smiles on the crowd’s faces and knowing that my donation is going to help somebody,” said Jason Seagraves of Lady Hoopers.

Hoops For Hearts is a wonderful fundraiser that raises awareness, and donations, for the children that suffer from heart diseases. This was an event that students could enjoy on or off the court and fun for all.