The Think Pink boys and girls doubleheader basketball games between the Dakota Ridge Eagles and Columbine Rebels are the most anticipated games of the year for both teams as Columbine and Dakota Ridge are big rivals. Students from both schools, dressed in pink, filed into Dakota Ridge to watch their teams, with the girls kicking things off at 5:30 p.m. and the boys following at 7:00 p.m.  

After two very tough losses to Ralston Valley and Valor Christian, the girls team looked to recoup and come out with a much needed victory over rival Columbine. After three tough losses to Thomas Jefferson, Legend, and Regis Jesuit, the boys looked to bounce back as well. 

The first quarter was a hard-fought battle between both teams as it was close throughout the entirety of the quarter. But the Eagles found themselves down 8-3. The second quarter came around and the Rebels looked to be running away with the game. The Rebels won the second quarter and went into the half up 24-12. 

“Usually we break down in the second half, especially the third quarter but we knew we had to fight hard for this one,” Taylor Legault (12) said. “It was rival Columbine, in our gym, for Think Pink, and we had a great crowd so we didn’t want to disappoint. We came together as a team rather than individuals.”

The Eagles took the court with a chip on their shoulder and were looking to come out strong in the second half after going down 24-12. The Eagles came out hot during the third quarter and found themselves making a very big comeback, though they were down 27-25 at the end of the third quarter. The girls kept fighting their way back as they won the fourth quarter and took a 38-35 victory over the Rebels.

The boys game was ready to begin and after a very tough loss to Regis, the Eagles were ready to fight hard.  “[Our goal is to] protect our home court and forget about the Regis Loss,” Brayden Rhoades (12) said. 

The Eagles found themselves down very early in the game as the Rebels jumped out to a 10-6 lead over the Eagles after the first 8 minutes of play. Shooting struggles continued for the Eagles as they continued to go down more and more to the Rebels. The Rebels looked as if they couldn’t miss, and went into the half up  30-10.

At halftime, eight very lovely and strong women were recognized for their fight and victories over breast cancer. It was a touching and heartfelt moment for the ladies and the rest of the people surrounding them. 

The third quarter began and the Eagles and Rebels were neck and neck the entire way. The Eagles were knocking down shots but at the same time so was Columbine, Dakota could not catch a break as Columbine continued their scoring ways. The Eagles found themselves down 5-31 after the third. The Eagles struggles were continuing and were still struggling to make a basket. The Rebels built a strong lead and was too much for the Eagles to come back to, as they fell to Columbine 58-42.

Senior Brayden Rhoades talked about how the team will prepare for their upcoming game against the Arvada West Wildcats. “We want to use our two practices to prepare for our game but also keep a mindset that we can compete with any team at our best,” said Rhoades. 

The boys will take on Arvada West on Wednesday, January 22nd and the girls next game is against Arvada West on Friday, January 24th.