Greenhills has never been known for attracting crowds to sporting events. However, on Jan 31, the last day of spirit week, more fans than ever came to watch girls varsity basketball play against Hamtramck High School. These fans were able to watch division three Greenhills beat division one Hamtramck, in an upset win.
“It was a pretty close game, in all four, well five quarters,” said girls basketball coach Taylor Parker. “But, the energy was nice, it was nice to have all our fans there and we were playing pretty well. Hamtramck is a Division 1 team and we’re division three right now, so it was a pretty big win to get against a pretty big school.”
As the game started, the Greenhills players didn’t come into it with high hopes. Hamtramck were the heavy favorites to win.
“It was a difficult game because we came into it thinking we weren’t going to win,” said Libby Schuster’27. “But then the crowd, us coming back from being down and a lot of people standing up and cheering really, really loudly, just heightened the energy in the room and made everything feel so much better. It was probably the most fun game I’ve ever played in, just because of the energy. I think we played better and we were just more excited to be there and work that much harder to try to win.”
The energy from the crowd may have been an advantage for Greenhills, but it also put the pressure on the players.
“I tried not to focus on the energy around the event because it will give you anxiety with how many people are there watching you play,” said Alexi Magdich’26. “But I knew that there were a lot of people there and I think just having people cheer for you, it helped.”
Even if it made some players nervous, it was undeniable that the crowd made a difference. It made the game exciting for the players and helped Greenhills keep going as the game went into overtime.
“It was exciting to have all the fans there,” said Parker. “We had a pretty large student section. Parents and supporters came, so it was pretty huge. And I think the crowd definitely had something to do with a lot of those points we put up.”
The players didn’t have many expectations before the game. But it was the crowd which motivated them to win. Even against a much better team.
“I think going into it we had minimal expectations because this game didn’t really matter that much and we thought we were going to lose,” said Schuster. “But then once we saw we were able to win and we saw there was a crowd. I think the expectation was that we have to win this game.”
But it wasn’t just the crowd which helped them win. Team spirit was also a big factor in Greenhills’ upset win against Hamtramck.
“I think we all put some stress on ourselves, too,” said Magdich. “Our coach said we should win, and we all wanted to win and people around us wanted us to win and in the end, it did help us win.”
Girls basketball has two captains, Eleana Zhuang’25 and Hannah Behringer’25. According to Magdich, this doesn’t mean they’re the only leaders on the team.
“I think in a way all people who start games are leaders because we set the groundwork for the rest of the games,” said Magdich. “So if we go out with a strong first couple of minutes that helps the rest of the team play to keep that momentum. It also depends on who wants to pick up the slack, when we are not pulling it together as a team. So in a way, everybody has a chance to be like a captain.”
