On February 26th, the Highlands boys’ varsity basketball team lost against the Cooper High School Jaguars in the Regional Quarter Final with a final score of 47 to 37.

The ozone theme for the night was Blue Out in honor of 8th grader Lilliana Shalk. Both ozones, from Highlands and Cooper, were decked out in blue. Cheerleaders also wore blue ribbons on their uniforms and blue hearts.

The game started off slow and both teams struggled to put any points on the scoreboard. By the end of the first eight-minute quarter, the Birds managed to squeeze a one-point lead with a score of six to five Highlands.

The birds were able to tame the jaguars throughout the second half. By the end of the second quarter, the score was 15 to 13 Highlands.

The energy was not the same on the court compared to other games. Freshman David Dierig, a member of the ozone, observed this throughout the game.

“We are not playing as well as I think we should,” Dierig stated, “There is a lot of emotion from both the players and the fans and I think it is affecting the game.”

At the start of the third quarter, Cooper took the lead by earning nine points in the first  three minutes, while Highlands scored 0. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 33 to 22 Cooper.

The birds tried to catch up with Cooper in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. With multiple timeouts called to hopefully get the birds back in the game, the final score ended up being 47 to 37 Cooper.

Senior Ethan McIntosh, a cheerleader on the co-ed team, reflected on the performance of the team.

“We may not have been successful but our guys had their whole hearts in the game,” McIntosh explained, “Our cheerleaders and ozone were supportive all throughout and I think that, if nothing else, that shows a great bluebird spirit which is often worth more than a victory.”

All in all, Cooper took the Highlands Bluebirds out of the Regional Tournament. The girls’ varsity basketball regional tournament match will be against Holy Cross on February 26th at the BB&T Arena at 6:30 pm.