Community Basketball – Thank You!

And that’s an EC winner! Last Friday night’s final “Community Basketball Night” of the season came to a close as the buzzer rang in a convincing 52-35 victory over Pequannock. The team played a great game, the community boogied under the direction of the spirit squad at halftime, the student section was rocking all game, the Pep Band sounded great, as school pride and the athletic program are clearly both on the rise.

The energy in the gym was reflected by the play on the court. The Eagles Boys Varsity team finished with a 3-2 record over the 5 Community Basketball Nights- with one of the best performances of the season coming in last Friday’s win. The Girls Varsity team finished with a 1-1 record, and the upstart Middle School Boys team defeated rival Hawthorne Christian in an exciting head to head matchup.

Anytime you try something new like this, it takes enthusiastic people to turn vision into reality. As a result, we have many people to thank for making this season so memorable.

• Thanks to ECHS Principal Ruth Kuder and EC Director of Operations John Belanus for making the facility upgrades possible. Our front lobby, athletic hallway, “Swag Shop,” and trophy cases have been given a complete facelift. These changes are especially noticeable on game days!
• Thanks to Kelly Sietsma for coordinating the Swag Shop with help from Leida Botbyl and Denise Martin. All the work that you put in to make the Swag Shop added so much to the hospitality and atmosphere of these games.
• Thanks to our Rudi Gesch for your announcing, prayers before games, and music during the game breaks. You brought a much needed voice to these events.
• Thanks to EC Rob Flim for coordinating and directing the Pep Band. School spirit through the fight song, cheers and pep helped take Community Basketball Nights to the next level
• Thanks to spirit squad coach Alisa Engelhard and
• Thanks to assistant Athletic Director Jeff Botbyl for help with coordinating, site managing, and live-tweeting these events.
• Thanks to Jeff Miller from Miller-Built Construction and to Doug Groenewal of Groenewal Electric for the work on the Swag Shop and display cases.

We’re already looking forward to next year. You can count on a full year of scheduled sports-linked community nights including Soccer Double-Headers in the fall and Community Basketball Nights in the winter. Look for that calendar to be shared with the community at the beginning of next school year.

As always, thank you for your support of the EC Athletic Program.

Soar EC!

Barry Veenstra

Eastern Christian Athletic Director