Dunkerton Raiders at North Tama Redhawks

A cell phone shot I took out front of North Tama High. Probably one of the coolest entries to a school in all of Eastern Iowa that I've ever witnessed!

I must start out by admitting that I'm not originally from this area so when I heard about the buzz surrounding last night's Dunkerton Raiders and North Tama Redhawks basketball games in Traer, Iowa, I was like "Cool, that sounds like fun."

I had no idea what was in store!

So far this winter season I've had the opportunity to photograph basketball games at a variety of high schools ranging from the smaller ones (like Don Bosco in Gilbertville) to the larger ones (like Waterloo East in Waterloo) and yet, none of them have offered the playoff atmosphere like last night!

North Tama High School has a very cozy gymnasium that really allows the fans to be close enough to really take in the action from up close and offered a throwback to a time before giant new gyms and additions to high schools. I understand the many variables that go into a new gymnasium but at the same time it's nice to really get to take in a game and feel like you're part of the action (if you've ever been to a football game at Kinnick Stadium or a baseball game at Wrigley you know what I'm talking about...Go Hawkeyes and Go Cubs! Sorry, had to!)

It was a standing room only crowd with some of the fans positioned on the stage on one end of the gymnasium to accommodate all the fans that wanted to take in a great night of basketball! For much of the game I was pinned up against the pad underneath the basket on the north end of the gym and loved every minute of it! 

About The Games

So last night you had two schools, separated by a short drive, from the same Iowa Star Conference so you knew they were very familiar with one another, playing in a highly anticipated night of basketball (as it turns out these games had been rescheduled a few times due to weather).

I arrived shortly after 6 pm (thanks mainly to have never being at North Tama High School, let alone Traer before) and the place was packed and buzzing! The energy from the girls game was apparent from the opening tip as both crowds produced almost an ear numbing amount of volume.

North Tama's girls team was able to hold off Dunkerton in the end and came away with a 38-28 victory in front of a raucous crowd. Here are some shots that I posted to my Facebook page late last night:

In the boys game, you had 7th ranked Dunkerton taking on 8th ranked North Tama and despite the game being rescheduled twice due to weather, both teams came out ready to play. Same as above, here are some shots that I posted to my Facebook page late last night after the game:

North Tama defended its home court and held on to a 62-53 victory, giving Dunkerton its first loss of the season. Both teams now stand at 20-1 as they prepare to wrap up the regular season and focus on their new season--the playoffs!

Last night was one of the best, most intense, most exciting and thrilling nights of basketball--both boys and girls--that I've had the pleasure of photographing.

In closing, I would like to thank all of the wonderful folks at both schools, their players, their parents and all of the fans that made last night so fun to be part of! I truly had a blast and hope to have the opportunity to photograph more sporting events for both schools in the future!

JScott