Searcy, AR (LP) — Basketball Senior Night is a time to recognize the seniors on the Searcy girls and boys basketball teams, Lionsteppers, and cheer team. The yearly tradition is an evening full of many emotions, especially for the seniors as they are announced to the crowd and walked down the court by their parents. 

This home basketball game is the last time the Lion basketball teams will play for their season and for senior Eli Noel, it will be his last one ever. “I have been playing basketball since I was in third grade and began playing for Searcy in seventh grade. I am not going to play basketball at the next level,” explains Noel.  

Not only do the basketball players play their last game ever, the Lionsteppers and cheerleaders also perform their last routine of the year. Ashlynn Hightower, a senior of the Lionsteppers, has danced for almost her whole life inside and outside of school. “I started dancing when I was three years old at Searcy School of Dance and I fell in love with it instantly. Since students aren’t allowed to try out for the Lionstepper team their freshmen year, I have been on the team for three years,” says Hightower. 

While making the high school team does mean you get to play the sport you love, it also means that you get to make lifelong friends along the way with your teammates. “I think me and the other seniors are really close. The seniors really bonded this year because we are all going through the same emotions and process of growing up. All of the activities we have participated in for the last few years are ending,” states Hightower.

With leaving behind a sport you have grown used to playing all the time, it can be hard to suddenly let it all go. “What I will miss most about basketball is being around everybody, day in and day out. We are all there working hard for the sport we love. That dedication builds a strong bond and pulls the team close. I will miss being with those guys each and every day, working towards our individual and team goals and just having fun playing the sport that we all love,” explains Noel.

Senior Night is a bittersweet moment for the Searcy High athletes. While this special evening reflects on their time on the team and their last moments out on the court, it also signifies a brand new beginning in each and everyone of their lives.