Walking into the high school’s main gym around seven on a Friday night, one could expect to find the student section filled with
fans cheering on the team; however, if they were to show up an hour or so earlier, it would be a completely different story despite another varsity game being played. Over the course of the basketball season, a common trend from past years has continued — low student attendance at girls basketball games.
“We definitely wish there were more people at our games. We were not a bad team; we were 10-0 [over the past 10 games], so I think having some more support to help us continue winning would be nice,” Masyn Brackett, forward, 11, said.
Over the past five seasons, the girls team has a combined record of 79-29 with two state appearances, placing fourth at state in the 2024-2025 season. The boys team, on the other hand, has a combined record of 47-65 [as of Feb. 17].
When asked about the stark difference between student attendance at boys compared to girls games Jordan Miller, guard, 12, noted that the girls team usually blows teams out and winning by a large margin, whereas their team, on the other hand, plays closer, more competitive games. Miller also noted that many of the students in attendance are friends with players on the boys team and could just be there to support their friends.
Austin Wright, 12, a friend of Miller’s, backed up their belief.
“[I go to boy’s games] because I am supporting my friends; I would rather watch my friends,” Wright said.
Being a member of the JV and C-team girls team, Addison Nichols, guard, 10, feels it is important to show support for all teams.
“I feel like both the boys and girls, they’re both the basketball team for Spring Hill. We should support the other,” Nichols said. “[it is important to show support for both teams,] so one team doesn’t feel less important. If one team had a better record than the other, the other team still needs to know they did their best.”
Student support is an important aspect of building a strong school culture and allows the student body to feel more connected.
