Mesa basketball upset at ‘Homecoming’
Latasha Newburn
Returning to their home court after a close game against Phoenix College, the Thunderbirds were anticipating a win over the Glendale Gauchos. The First Annual Thunderbird Nation Holding Court was a homecoming type event put on by the Athletic department and the Assiciated Students of Mesa Community College.
Early in the game Mesa took their first and only lead by a single point making the score 10-9, but shortly after Gauchos player James Ellisor made an astounding dunk.
After 40 minutes of basketball, the Thunderbirds were unable to get a win and finished with a of 81-65 loss.
Though the T-birds played nearly the entire game from behind, they did not give up.
The team showcased their defense skills and attacked the hoop with hunger and passion for another win.
The buzzer sounded for halftime displaying a score of 43 for the Gauchos and 29 for the Thunderbirds.
After the buzzer rang, the players left the court with looks of disappointment but held their heads up in determination.
While the team were was in the locker room, the basketball court was turned into a pink parade of rhythmic dancing, flipping and organized ladies.
Known as Flip Zone, these young ladies were beaming energy and positivity into the room, combining routine dances with synchronized flips these young girls energized the crowd and created a sense of positivity while the team was down in the game.
Full of sass they combined flips, splits and kicks to increase the energy levels of the crowd. Ending with the Kiss hit song “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
Returning from the locker room the guys came out with a look of determination, hoping to regain possession of the game and end the evening with a win.
However, the Gauhos were able to hold on to the lead by a margin of 16 points.
“No game has been easy this year in this league and we will continue to take it one game at a time,” said head coach Sam Ballard.
