Leoanrdtown High School teacher Caleb Newton drives toward the basket in the first half of last Thursday’s charity basketball game between staff members from his school and host Great Mills designed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Newton and the Raiders departed with a 55-47 victory with nearly 250 spectators on hand for the fundraiser.
Great Mills High School boys basketball coach Donald Thomas, a 2012 Hornets’ alum and former player, had the chance to participate in last Thursday’s charity staff basketball game between his school and visiting Leonardtown. Thomas and the host squad suffered a 55-47 setback in that contest played in front of nearly 250 spectators and designed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
Great Mills High School assistant girls basketball coach and former Hornets’ player Taylor Dean brings the ball up court in the second half of last Thursday’s charity basketball game pitting rival staffs from her school and Leoannardtown. Dean and the hosts suffered a 55-47 setback in that contest designed as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research.
Leoanrdtown High School teacher Caleb Newton drives toward the basket in the first half of last Thursday’s charity basketball game between staff members from his school and host Great Mills designed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Newton and the Raiders departed with a 55-47 victory with nearly 250 spectators on hand for the fundraiser.
TED BLACK/Southern Maryland News
Great Mills High School boys basketball coach Donald Thomas, a 2012 Hornets’ alum and former player, had the chance to participate in last Thursday’s charity staff basketball game between his school and visiting Leonardtown. Thomas and the host squad suffered a 55-47 setback in that contest played in front of nearly 250 spectators and designed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
TED BLACK/Southern Maryland News
Great Mills High School assistant girls basketball coach and former Hornets’ player Taylor Dean brings the ball up court in the second half of last Thursday’s charity basketball game pitting rival staffs from her school and Leoannardtown. Dean and the hosts suffered a 55-47 setback in that contest designed as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research.
Last week when Great Mills High School welcomed crosstown county rival Leonardtown for a staff basketball game designed as a fundraiser for the Great Mills MiniTHON, the actual final score of the contest was hardly the primary focus, although the Raiders’ staff could depart with bragging rights following their 55-47 victory in front of nearly 250 spectators.
Great Mills junior Sam King and sophomore Claire Davis were the primary organizers for the event, one designed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment. Davis noted that the group has a fundraising goal of $15,000 this school year and King added that 25 Great Mills students were involved in making the charity event come to fruition.
“The entire MiniTHON here at Great Mills is completely run by the students,” said Davis, who lost a younger brother, Kaden Davis, 9, to cancer. “We all give a lot of time to the group. I know for me it takes up to five or six hours each week. It’s definitely worth all of the time that it takes.”
“It takes so many people here to make something like this happen,” King said. “We have so many people that do so many little things, but they all help. We have an annual 5K fundraiser on May 2 and we’re hoping to get a lot of people for that. But there was a lot of work involved in making this happen and it took a lot more people than just myself and Claire.”
Leonardtown Principal Jamie Copsey was among the primary reasons the visiting staff squad was able to prevail on March 12, but the former Raiders’ player and alum quickly downplayed the result. Copsey, who later played men’s basketball at Lynchburg University, was quick to praise the efforts of the Great Mills students involved with the school’s MiniTHON.
“It’s been a while, but it was fun just to be out here to play for such a great cause,” Copsey said. “Sam and Claire did such a great job organizing this event. We’re hoping to be able to host something like this and even get Chopticon involved in it somehow. Winning the game was just the icing on the cake, really.”
A pair of Great Mills alums and former players were on the court representing the home staff squad and both welcomed the chance to participate in the fundraiser. Hornets’ boys basketball coach Donald Thomas and Great Mills girls’ basketball assistant coach Taylor Dean quickly shrugged off the outcome while speaking of their participation.
“It was just a lot of being out here with my guys and being able to battle against the Leonardtown staff,” said Thomas, a 2012 Great Mills alum who guided the Hornets’ boys basketball team to the 3A South Region title in his second season. “I really hadn’t played since December, but it was a lot of fun. I was impressed in what the student group here was able to do.”
“I don’t have too many chances to play anymore,” said Dean, a 2020 Great Mills alum who played one season at the College of Southern Maryland and now works full-time as a physical therapist. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of people to put something like this together. It was fun just to be able to come back and play on this court again.”
