Tonight I traveled to oft-forgotten Gardner, Ill., to cover the championship of a local girls basketball tournament. It was a barn burner, folks. Even before tip-off, the energetic crowd knew this one would be intense.
Why? Because the visiting St. Anne team brought their mascot.
That’s right, a human sized cardinal. There to pump up the 12 St. Anne fans there to cheer on their team. Not only did he dance during timeouts, but he also took part in huddles.
It seemed that the players were a little confused about the directions, though. While down 17 points nearing the end of the first half, the players held the ball. Seems that when the coach told the mascot to “just stand there” that the players took it to heart.
Needless to say, a 17-point deficit leads to sad cardinals.
St. Anne only had 4 points at halftime. The final score was 47-19 Gardner. Which can mean only one thing. Happy Panthers.
