The final buzzer sounds and the clock runs out. My teammates were jumping up and down. It’s hard to believe that the girls’ basketball team just reached a milestone the program hasn’t seen in more than a decade: beating Shawnee and securing an 8-3 home winning record.
I excitedly look up into the bleachers, expecting noise and chaos, but instead, I see parents putting on their coats and rows of empty seats. At the exact same time, in Medford, the East boys basketball team is also playing Shawnee in front of the crowd that could have been ours.
On a typical winter afternoon at Cherry Hill High School East, two varsity basketball teams wear the same jersey and represent the same school. One plays at home while the other travels, often against the same opponent. The schedule looks good on paper, but in real life, it forces athletes, students and families to choose which team to support. Instead of building school spirit, it quietly divides it.
When the girls play at home, the boys’ program travels. Varsity starts at 3:45 p.m., JV follows at 5:15 p.m., and the identical schedule happens at the opposite location. My friends will say, “I’m going to the boys’ game today. Let me know next time you play.” But the next time we play, the conflict is the same.
“As an East girls’ basketball player, I would love to be able to cheer on the boys basketball team,” said Maya Morgan (‘28). “However, I am never able to support them because we always have conflicting game times.”
Despite finishing 14–13 and having one of the best seasons our program has had in over a decade, the stands are mostly filled with parents and siblings. On the bright side, we are lucky to have our JV team’s support. Their screams are so loud that they can be heard from the parking lot.
What makes this season meaningful is how far we have come. At one point, we were 3–8. It would have been easy to let the year define us, but we turned it around. We practiced harder and started to trust each other more. Eventually, the wins started to stack up. Now, at 14–13, I am proud not just of the victories, but of the selfless determination it took to get here.
This season, we beat Shawnee for the first time in 15 years. We secured our first regular-season record of .500 or better in 11 years. We finished 8–3 at home, earning our first home winning record in a decade. We made the state playoffs for the third straight year and recorded the most wins in 11 seasons. I used to think we didn’t get fans because we weren’t winning, but even when we started winning, things didn’t change. These accomplishments should bring a school together. Instead, during some of our biggest moments, most of our student section goes to away games.
And now, it continues.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, we open the NJSIAA Group 4 playoffs. The boys’ team, whose 21–3 record earned them a home game, will host Toms River. At the same time, we will travel to Atlantic City for our own first-round playoff matchup.
I am genuinely excited. Playoff basketball is different. It is more intense. The gym feels louder even before tip-off, and every possession carries more weight. After starting 3–8, we have worked all season for this opportunity.
Coach Mance prepared us for moments like this. He intentionally scheduled a lot of away games so we would be comfortable playing on someone else’s court: loud gyms, long bus rides and environments where the crowd is against us. These are the games when the opposing fans pound the bleachers and call us names during our foul shots. Coach wanted us ready for playoff basketball, where we can’t control the atmosphere.
Last year, our playoff game was at Pennsauken. The matchup itself was competitive. We battled the entire night, but what stood out most was the environment. I had never seen a gym packed like theirs for a girls’ game. Their student section filled the bleachers, and the energy never wavered. It was impossible to ignore the advantage that was created. Spirit matters and fan support makes a big difference.
Losing that playoff game in Pennsauken is a night we will never forget.
Just because I play on the girls’ basketball team should not mean I have to miss out on one of the most exciting nights of the boys’ season. They deserve their packed gym because they earned it. I wish I could be in the stands cheering them on.
As East fans fill DiBart Gym, our bus will depart. We will be loading onto a bus dressed in grey sweats with our uniforms underneath, headed to Atlantic City.
I remember when my brother played at East. When his team faced Atlantic City in the playoffs, the school sent a bus full of students to cheer them on. The energy traveled with them. The student section showed up loud and proud. That kind of support changes the feel of a game.
We likely will not have that on Thursday. Due to the one-hour drive and conflicting schedules, our crowd will most likely be limited to family members willing to make the trip. Still, we will step onto that court ready. We have prepared for this because we know how to compete in someone else’s gym.
This issue extends beyond basketball. In the fall, boys’ and girls’ soccer teams also play at the same time in different locations. The pattern repeats season after season.
The one major exception is East–West Soccer Day. On that day, every matchup, from freshman to varsity, boys and girls, is staggered throughout the day, so no one has to choose. The energy is unmatched because the entire community shows up together. If that level of coordination is possible once a season, it proves flexibility exists when it is prioritized.
Scheduling conflicts are not simple. Transportation, gym space, officials and conference structures all matter, but solutions do exist. Coach Dave Allen has suggested that on select dates, varsity boys and girls could both play at home in back-to-back time slots while the JV teams travel together. A double-header would allow students and families to support both programs and would create momentum and energy in the gym instead of splitting it between two locations. Even separating major playoff games when possible could make a meaningful difference.
Coach Mance prepared us to win anywhere, and we are ready for Atlantic City. We are proud of how far we have come from 3–8 to the playoffs. But I have seen what unified support looks like: at Pennsauken last year, on the bus when my brother’s team traveled and on East–West Soccer Day when our entire school shows up together.
A school that competes together should not have to choose who to cheer for. I just hope that one day, when East plays, we can all be there for each other, not divided by a schedule, but united in our support for each other.
