Women’s Basketball to host ‘Give Back Game’

West Frankfort, Ill. – The women’s basketball home game on February 11th against Robert Morris-Springfield has been announced as the school’s first Give Back Game, an effort to support local schools by donating a portion of ticket sales to Frankfort community schools.

“Part of our program’s mission is community outreach, and what better way for us to support our community than by hosting an event to support our local schools,” said women’s basketball head coach Drew Smith. “This is an idea I have had for a while, and it just makes too much sense when you sit and think about it.”

“Being such a small community, our college has unique opportunities to provide support that other larger schools may not have. We hope this can grow into an event that West Frankfort can really get behind. Not only will it help our schools, but it will also showcase Morthland College’s commitment to becoming a more engrained part of the fabric of this city.”

The premise behind the Give Back Game is very simple. Each person who purchases a ticket will be able to request their ticket support Denning Elementary, Frankfort Intermediate, Central Junior High, or Frankfort Community High. For each ticket pledged in support, $1 will be donated to that school, and the school with the most fans in attendance will receive double the donation. There will also be a paper airplane competition at halftime, with several throws that land closest to center court winning free pizza.

“With this being the first time we have tried something like this, I am not sure what the turnout will be. What I do know is that it should be an exciting game and an exciting time for our program. This program, coupled with some of the high-profile recruits we are bringing in, is on the verge of something special, and we hope to get this community behind us. In turn, we always want to be appreciative and support those who support us.”

The Patriots are led in scoring by a couple local products. Maranda Chance (Vienna, IL) is averaging 17.8 points per game and leads the nation in steals per game at 3.6, while Autumn Gunter (Christopher, IL) is averaging 16.7 points per game.

The game will be played at Frankfort Intermediate at 2:00. The two teams met earlier in the year, with the