Boys Basketball Narrowly Misses State Tournament

By Kevin Agostinelli, staff reporter

Having undergone a moment as auspicious as Sturgis East’s overtime victory over Sturgis West on February 13, one may have bet on the Storm to carry the momentum and win two of the final three games to qualify for the state tournament. Yet, as fate would have it, the Sturgis East boy’s basketball team lost the first two games to Cape Cod Tech and Dennis-Yarmouth, eliminating them from the state tournament.
Sturgis East’s win over the Sturgis West Navigators was certainly one to remember, as the Storm’s big man Mitchell Starr dominated the court with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 shot blocks. Despite Sturgis West leading 37-31 at the half, East’s offense excelled in the second half, tying the score at 68 at the end of regulation. With over a hundred students in attendance, the overtime period was a wild affair, as both sides fought tooth and nail to squeeze by with a victory.

Fortunately for the Storm, Jacob Tobey forced West’s Deikani Cunningham (who had a game-high 32 points) to turn over the ball, and Jonny Gomes hit a key free throw with seven seconds left to give Sturgis East a well deserved 80-76 win. Senior Kyle Garvey was a menace on defense throughout the game while adding 16 points and eight rebounds for the offense. Tobey finished with 15 points on the night, while point guard Luke Chevalier had 14 points and dished out 8 assists.

Sadly, that joy was soon met with disappointment as the Storm let a nine point lead at the half slip away to lose 60-54 at Cape Tech. At the home of the Crusaders on Senior Night, Sturgis East was overwhelmed in the third quarter, giving up 24 points and failing to contain Cape Tech’s Miguel Cardona, who collected 20 points on the night. Luke Chevalier registered 21 points for the Storm, but it was all for naught as Sturgis fell in a seemingly must-win game.

On February 16, Sturgis East was pummeled 65-36 by a very strong Dennis-Yarmouth squad, officially knocking them out of playoff contention. Luke Chevalier led the Sturgis boys in scoring with 16 points and was once again a bright spot for a team that was suffering from the absence of junior center Mitch Starr.

With the states out of the picture, Sturgis East’s Coach Kennedy decided to play a mix of junior varsity and varsity players in the final game against South Shore Christian Academy, and South Shore came out on top 58-40.
Stay tuned for a complete recap of the Storm’s boys' basketball season, featuring interviews and analysis from players and coaches!

Students Learn Ballroom Dances

Stepping Up Their Dancing Skills

Students learn the rumba earlier this month.

Six More Free Lessons Begin Wednesday

By Sam Silverbrand, staff reporter

For the past six Wednesdays at Sturgis East approximately 40 students have participated in a ballroom dance program sponsored by the Cape Cod Ballroom Dance Association. Room 204 was transformed into a ballroom after school as the students learned how to hustle, swing, rumba, salsa, and merengue, all free of charge.

“I thought it was so much fun to learn so many dances which were so different,” said sophomore Emma Brimdyr. “There were fast ones, and more slow ones, complicated and easy, but all were learnable. I’m so glad I was able to do it, it was the highlight of my day.”

Sophomore Dean Smith concurred: “It wasn’t hard to do, and even easier to learn. I plan on going to the next set of classes.”

Smith’s in luck. The first lesson of the next series workshops begins Wednesday. Recently the Dance Association approved funding to continue the lessons for an additional six weeks.

Advisor for the program, Denise Hyer, is thrilled that the pilot program is being offered to Sturgis East students by the dance association: “So many unexpected benefits can be gained from ballroom dancing. Students learn that dancing together in a more “formal” style can be fun, not to mention great exercise. They build confidence in their social interaction, and dancing is a great tool for athletes to help with balance and control in movement.”

During the first three lessons hustle and swing were taught by dance instructor Debbie Israel. In the last three classes of the workshop, students learned Latin dances; merengue, salsa, and rumba taught by dance instructor Ellen Brodsky.

“For Latin dance, I started with the meringue,” said Brodsky. “This easy dance from the Dominican Republic got kids going right away. Later the students would move on to learn the American rumba, and the salsa. “We went on to a Latin ‘diamond’ step used for International rumba as danced by college competition ballroom teams. When I played faster music, the same step becomes the basis for salsa.”

Extending the program for another six workshops gives students another opportunity to learn new dances, improve their dance and social skills, earn CAS credit, or just have fun.

Softball Team Looks Ahead to Season

By Sara Prygocki, staff reporter

This year, Sturgis softball is looking to have a promising season. “It will be a lot different than last year. I feel like this year we are determined as a team to do the best as we can and be the exceed our expectations,” Stephanie Johnson, first baseman, says. Some of the adjustments include new workout schedules for the girls in order to, as Johnson said, “show them that determination and hard work pays off.”

Among the new changes, Sturgis softball is taking on a new coach, the new IB Business teacher Mr. Conti. “It's sad to see Coach Brothers go, but I think this will be a positive change for the team,” Caroline Adams, pitcher, remarked.

Coach Conti along with  assistant coach Lombardi will give the players just what they need. “I think this season the team will be more serious and competitive than last year,” Adams said.

“This season isn't just about having fun. We're really cracking down as a team to make this an unbelievable season and really giving it our all!” Johnson has promised.