By ALLEN SEYBERT
The majority of high school seniors spent their final basketball seasons going for broke.
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Each and every outing was an all-out battle and winning wasn't everything - it was the only thing.
The annual CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Senior Basketball Classic couldn't be more different.
In its sixth season, the annual basketball classic is not about winning. Instead, it's a game that promotes good sportsmanship and provides those seniors a chance to showcase their skills one last time in a truly enjoyable atmosphere.
This year's CASA Classic is scheduled for tonight at Warren Area High School. For the third straight season, the event will feature a doubleheader which includes a girls game at 6 p.m. and a boys game at 7:30 p.m.
The night will feature graduating senior players from Eisenhower, East Forest, Sheffield, Tidioute Charter, Warren, Youngsville and West Forest high schools.
The girls game will be played between the Attorneys and the Volunteers. For the second straight season, the Volunteers will be coached by Eisenhower girls head coach Dave Allenson. Allenson's team will feature senior athletes from Eisenhower, Sheffield and East Forest. The Attorneys will be led by West Forest coach John Wallace and feature a roster with athletes from West Forest and Tidioute Charter. Both the Youngsville and Warren girls teams had no seniors on their rosters this season.
Allenson's team contains Eisenhower's Alli Blanco, Lauren Blanco, Lauren Sherry and Taylor Ward, Sheffield's Lacey Bjorkquist, Kristie Steffan and Brittany Summers and East Forest's KayDee Armstrong. Wallace's team boasts Hilary Clark and Casey Dubrawka of West Forest and Jen Buckley, Alexis Morrison, Cassie York and Sam Johnson of Tidioute Charter.
The boys teams - the Judges and the Advocates - will be led by West Forest coach Dustin Donato and East Forest coach Randy Andring, respectively. Donato's team features athletes from Warren, West Forest and Tidioute while Andring's roster includes athletes from Youngsville and East Forest.
The Judges roster includes Andrew Morrison, Joel Stewart, Kyle Papalia, Tyler Fantaskey and Nathan Billman of Warren, Andrew Blum, Devin Mendez and Sean Weaver of West Forest and Matt Brown and Shaun Sitterley representing the Tidioute Bulldogs.
Andring's Advocates team contains the Bears' Nik Bagley, Shane Cotterman, Raymond Gregg, Bill Richter and Shane Silvis as well as Billy Chuzie, D.J. Rose, Tim Snavley, Nathan Smith, Brandon Reed and Jeremy Clark of Youngsville.
Sheffield is the only boys team that played the 2010-11 season without a single senior.
All rosters are tentative and are subject to last minute additions or subtractions.
The night will also feature a performance of the national anthem by Warren senior Meghan Tubbs and halftime performances by the Warren and Youngsville high school cheerleading squads. The Honorable Judge Maureen Skerda will perform the tip-off for the girls game while The Honorable Judge Gregg Hammond will toss the tip for the boys game.
Tickets for the doubleheader are $5 for adults and $1 for students. All proceeds will benefit the Court Appointed Special Advocates program.