Gallery • 13 Photos

Matthew Ramirez '26

Mariah Cox (12) high fives her starting line up teammates before the girls varsity basketball game on Jan. 8. Mariah Cox, the only senior on the team, was honored pregame.

As the buzzer closed out the fourth quarter, the girls’ varsity basketball team surrounded senior Mariah Cox as they shouted her name, “Mariah!”

The Panthers (1-11) came out of an 11-game losing streak on senior night, defeating the Ridley Raiders (5-5) with a final score of 46-31 on Thursday, Jan. 8. 

Pregame, the team celebrated Cox, the only senior player on the team. She was honored with her family and teammates.

“Our team is like such a family, you don’t really realize it, but I still have to make sure I set that high example,” Cox said.

Being the lone senior on the team, she is surrounded by mostly underclassmen.

“They [teammates] might joke around and stuff,  and it probably reminds you of their age, but anyways, it doesn’t feel any different,” Cox said.

The team, eager to win the game, was motivated by the senior night celebration.

“[We were] playing for Mariah, for her senior night,” sophomore Alyssa Bisordi said. 

The game began with high energy, with the Panthers adopting a heavy defensive position throughout the first quarter. Top scorers sophomore Kenzie Fanning, Bisordi, and junior Emmy Kerr ended the first half of the game 18-12.

Entering the second half, the Panthers scored points from multiple foul shots against the Raiders, and with more points by Bisordi, Fanning, and Kerr. In the fourth quarter, Cox scored twice, closing out the game with a 46-31 victory.

“When you play a ball, you can’t be in your head. You just have to go through the motion,” Cox said.

The senior night game was the Panthers’ first win of the season.

“We feel like the monkey is officially off our backs,” coach Brandi Johnson said. “We’re happy. Our team is very young. We’re learning every single game.”

The victory is felt throughout the entire team. 

“It feels really good to get our first win ever,” Bisordi said.

The Panthers will play the Pennsbury Falcons on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 12 p.m. in the SHHS gymnasium. The Panthers continue the season with many things to work on.

“We started out a little rough, but I feel like we powered through. [We can work on] keeping up the communication and shooting,” Fanning said.