High school Basketball Tournament
Despite the snow and cold temperatures that descended upon Lincoln over Valentine’s weekend, nine Adventist high schools arrived safely on campus for the Spring Basketball Tournament. Teams as far as Tennessee and Michagan made the trek to Nebraska, with some coming a day early to beat the snow storm. The weekend was fantastic, filled with basketball and fellowship.
The games started Wednesday afternoon at three locations: our very own Thunderdome, the College View Academy gym, and the Reiner Wellness Center. With the opening of the Reiner Wellness Center in the fall of 2024, this school year has been the first time the Fall and Spring tournaments have been able to take place without buses transporting athletes to gyms a few miles away. Union has been blessed with our new facility which allows all of the games to be within walking distance of each other.
Excitement and anticipation were high as college students, family, and friends rallied to each game to support the high schools they were from. Blue pompoms and burgundy sweatshirts broadcasted favorite teams and well-known but unique cheers of each school battled for air space in the echoey gyms. Even with the rivalries, sportsmanship was a prevalent part of each team. Basketball is a very physical sport, causing bumps, bruises, and the chance of getting knocked to the ground. On the court when a player fell, the player’s teammates as well as opponents reached out to help the person up. From the stands, audible comments of encouragement could be heard. It was amazing to watch as the teams left competition on the court so that friendships could be formed and common ground could be found. These actions were taken note of throughout the weekend and on Saturday night, the Christ-like Award was given to the Madison Academy men and Midland Adventist Academy women.
The students were also able to experience a taste of the Union by attending vespers and church with the university students. To close out the Sabbath, four of the Warrior basketball players (and one volleyball player) spoke to the students about what playing for a university is like. Union hopes that this encourages the young players to continue in their skills as they graduate high school. All of these events, games, and activities led up to the championship games on Saturday night. Each team put in an amazing effort and fought for the winning spot, but it was Andrews Academy men’s team and College View Academy women’s team that came out victorious.
We hope that you enjoyed sharing campus for a weekend and look forward to seeing you back next year to support all the teams participating in the 2026 Spring Tournament!tas
By: Sami Hoffer