Cedarville’s moonlit start to basketball season

By Elizabeth Crosley

On the last Friday in October, Cedarville students gathered in the Callan Athletic Center for one of the most anticipated athletic events of the season-Moonlight Madness.

Moonlight Madness is an annual event that introduces Cedarville’s cheer team and the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the student body.

The event is important to team morale and brings excitement among students for the basketball season.  

All eyes were drawn to the court as lights went out, spotlights turned on and the school’s mascot, Stinger, rode through smoke on an electric scooter. 

“Stinger riding out on a scooter was so tough,” Rebekah Hartley, a Cedarville cheerleader, said. 

He was quickly followed by the Cedarville cheer team. After each girl was announced, they performed a handshake, dance or skit to enter onto the court. 

The men’s and women’s basketball teams followed suit.

Moonlight Madness, taking place the night before Halloween, allowed for creativity with the athletes’ entrances. Neon bobs, a mock Steeler’s football game and Avenger’s masks kept the crowd cheering for their athletes from start to finish.

Then the games began.

Stinger competed against the Yellow Jacket students in a court-wide game of rock-paper-scissors. If the audience lost to Stinger, they sat down. If they won or tied, they stayed standing for a chance to earn some candy from the athletes who stood in the stands.

Following Stinger’s game, the men and women’s basketball teams competed for 60 seconds to see who could make more free throws. The crowd was charged with keeping count and cheered the women on as they won 31-29. 

Audience support encouraged the athletes and greatly contributed to the atmosphere of the court.

“It means a lot that students would give up a Friday night to see and cheer on the team,” said Addy Miller, Cedarville’s head coach for the women’s basketball team. 

The event continued with an impossible game of putt-putt. Volunteers, dressed up in a variety of costumes, including a Cholula hot sauce outfit and a Buc-ee’s onesie, came down from the crowd to attempt to putt a golf ball across the basketball court. While a few contestants came close, none were able to sink the ball.

In the spirit of the weekend, the winners of a costume contest were announced. Iconic costumes such as characters from the movie “Home” and the Crayola crayons were runner-ups. Students dressed as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy won the contest and captured the crowd’s attention with a wand duel.

The night’s games were completed with basketball-oriented competitions, including a game of knockout and a dunking contest.

Thank-yous from the athletic department, post-game procedure and prayer closed the event. 

Chris Cross, vice president of athletics at Cedarville University, said, “Students coming out really set the environment. It can set up the rest of the season. It’s loud, rocky, but if we can pack the stands, it sets up the rest of the season.”  

Lizzie Crosley is a freshman Communications major. Her favorite things are her dogs, hiking, running, and reading books of any genre!