It’s a big night for Granite Falls athletics.
Tonight’s Cascade Conference girls basketball game between Archbishop Murphy (2-0 in league, 5-3 overall) and Granite Falls (0-2, 2-5) will be the first girls sports event at the new Granite Falls High School.
The varsity clash tips off at 7 p.m. in the gym at Granite Falls’ new $43 million facility, located at 1401 100th St. NE. Construction was completed Dec. 1 and Thursday was the first full day of classes there for students, said Kathy Grant, a spokeswoman for the Granite Falls School District.
“The kids are pretty excited about it. The new facility is outstanding,” Granite Falls girls basketball coach Mark Neuman said.
The first athletic event of any kind at the new school was the boys basketball team’s Dec. 28 non-conference victory over a team from Victoria, B.C.
In addition to tonight’s girls game, Granite Falls officials plan to honor two longtime community contributors during a halftime ceremony: Judy Roche, a middle school physical education teacher who coached the Tigers’ slowpitch softball team from 1977 to 2001, and Larry Martinec, a retired teacher who for about 40 years operated the scoreboard clock at middle school and high school basketball games.
The ceremony will include a wall-banner dedication to Roche and the unveiling of a new score table in honor of Martinec. Due to health issues stemming from a mid-December accident, Martinec won’t be able to attend, Grant said. Martinec’s son, Steve Martinec, will represent him, she said.
Neuman, Granite Falls’ girls basketball coach, said his team can’t wait to get on the court, regardless of the added interest.
“We haven’t played for two weeks. We’re just ready to play, no matter what the new gym is like,” he said.
Granite Falls must shoot better than it has previously this season to contend with Murphy, Neuman said. Murphy is the conference favorite and won its first two league games by an average of 17 points.
Said Neuman, “They’re the best in the league. It’s exciting to (play in the new gym) but, boy, we’ve got to play well.”
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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