Donkey ball

It wasn't the kind of basketball fans are accustomed to watching, but it had everything they could want - including a few donkeys.

The Evans-Lakeside Donkey Basketball Game took place Wednesday in Evans High School's gym. The event featured three short games where contestants pulled their donkey up and down the court before mounting it to shoot the ball.

Proceeds of the event went to help booster clubs of both schools. Evans Booster Club President Dale Sickles said several hundred dollars were raised but he couldn't give an exact number.

He said the main purpose of the event was to bring the two schools - normally heated rivals - together for a night of fun.

"The schools should be working together more than we have been," Sickles said. "Sometimes we are all in the same boat."

In the first game of the night, students from Evans played students from Lakeside in what was a low-scoring, but crowd-pleasing, game. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Steven Little mounted his donkey and hit a desperation three-pointer to give Lakeside a 7-6 win.

Afterward, the+ Evans faculty team beat the Lakeside faculty 12-4 and then went on to claim the championship by shutting out the Lakeside students.

The highlight of the evening may not have been how many points were scored, though. The crowd seemed to get more enjoyment out of watching the donkeys - brought in from Florida - get loose from their handlers and refuse to walk down the court.

The biggest laughs came when athletes fell off their donkeys while hoping to make a basket. Some of the donkeys just didn't want to cooperate.

"You get one or two that are pretty gentle," Evans Basketball Coach Kevin Kenny said of the donkeys. "But the rest won't let you get on so you can shoot."

Kenny said it was great to see students and faculty members from both schools come together for a little fun. Sickles said he hopes to put together a game of donkey basketball next year and include other county schools such as Greenbrier.

"It's just a real good thing for the community to be a part of," Sickles said.