With the cameras rolling and all eyes on senior manager Kelly Pinney, Lafayette and Lindbergh teamed up to show us all how sportsmanship is done. After three years of cheering from the sidelines, Pinney finally got her chance to put her passion for basketball into action.

As part of Senior Night, Pinney, who has Down’s Syndrome, was announced as an honorary starter and given a chance to show off her shooting form with a ceremonial free throw. It took all of three attempts to hit a perfect swish, but it was clear the game wouldn’t start until she did. And it didn’t matter how long it took.

It was an amazing scene in the Lafayette Gym as the Lady Lancers surrounded their dedicated leader, and the fans of both teams genuinely loved every minute of it. From then on, she was the center of attention even after the game started.

Throughout the night, Superfans and Flyers fans alike waited  for the inevitable Rudy moment when chants of “Kelly, Kelly” would be too much for Coach Jennifer Porter to resist. Finally, she got her chance midway through the fourth quarter. Pinney entered the game to a heart-warming reaction from fans and players.

And thankfully, there was nothing cheesey or superficial about any of it.

Both teams played the situation perfectly, with Lindbergh intentionally sending Pinney to the free throw line for an encore of her pregame performance. This time, she got two attempts just like the teammates she inspired so much. Her second shot came incredibly close to igniting the crowd, but still got the same excitement.

The best part of the game was seeing her handle the action like it was nothing new. She kept rhythm with the offense and was in perfect position on every play. After all, Pinney knows her team as well as her coach might.

“She’s worked as hard as we did and pushed us harder than our coach sometimes,” senior Dawn Dickerson.

The whole experience reminds us that there’s nothing like the spirit of high school sports. It’s about building sportsmanship and a family out of a group of athletes. It was clear that the Lady Lancers were much more than a team when they rallied around their biggest supporter.

“It was the most incredible experience I’ve had as a coach and it says a lot about the character of our team. Her favorite day of the year is the first practice and the worst is our last loss. We made her feel like she belonged here at Lafayette,” Porter said.