The North Thurston High School basketball court was brimming last week with the kind of intensity found in a game with a state championship berth on the line.
But something far more important was at stake — providing gifts for local children in need.
Local firefighters and police laced up their best pair of sneakers and hit the hardwood for the second annual Fire and Ice charity basketball game Saturday, Nov. 2. Team Fire prevailed in a thrilling 81-80 victory over Team Ice in a heated contest that raised nearly $7,000 for the Shop With A Cop program. Funds will be used to take local children Christmas gift shopping with the help of the Boys & Girls Club of Thurston County in December.
Firefighters from Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia competed for Team Fire while staff from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Centralia Police Department and Thurston County Jail teamed up for Team Ice.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, who threw in a couple of raffles for a ride-along and his autographed pair of game shoes, said he thoroughly enjoyed the competition between first responders and the energy from the crowd.
“The great thing about these Fire and Ice games is that, every year, there’s potential that each team is going to win. Every year is close. Last year’s score was just as close,” Sanders said. “At the end of the day, we’re all competitors, and we had fun. We raised a lot of money for kids, and that’s what matters.”
Team Fire got revenge after Team Ice won 72-68 last year at Tumwater High School. Sanders said he expected Team Ice to get Team Fire’s best shot this time around.
“The firefighters are super salty, so when they take a loss, they come back strong,” he said.
Sanders, a former Tumwater varsity hooper, said he still plays basketball three or four times per week. Following his minor injuries stemming from an intoxicated driver on Oct. 6, Sanders said he is in good shape.
“I’m good. I’ve been working out and training quite a bit and trying to get ready for this. I felt really good cardio-wise this year,” he said.
Rory Aldana, a Lacey firefighter, said he and his teammates were motivated to win after coming out on the short end last year. He got fired up on the court late in the game once the firefighters sealed the hard-fought victory.
“I love it. There was no animosity. It was all just fun basketball. At the end of the game, that was just pure joy,” Aldana said. “This is gonna keep growing. It’s gonna be even better next year.”
Sanders said he is already working on ideas for next year’s contest and is proud of the growth from year one to year two.
“It’s growing for sure. This is a really good event. We’re seeing bigger crowd sizes every time, so we’re gonna keep capitalizing,” he said.
