Paradise HSBB Teams Play for 1st Time Since California Wildfires

Tim Daniels @TimDanielsBRFeatured ColumnistNovember 27, 2018

President Donald Trump talks to Mayor Jody Jones as he visits a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

The Paradise High School girls and boys basketball teams faced Chico High School on Monday night in their first games since the massive Camp Fire in California.

Journalist Molly Knight provided a picture from before tip of the girls contest and noted a sobering statistic about the wildfire damage:

Molly Knight @molly_knight
The Paradise High School girls basketball team is about to play their first game since the Camp Fire. Every girl on the roster except one lost her home. Here they are linking hands with rival Chico High before tip-off. https://t.co/NMxyyaea0l

Monday's games also served as fundraiser for the Paradise High Athletic Program. Bobcats girls head coach Sheila Craft told Stephanie Schmieding of Action News Now that getting back on the basketball court could help provide a much-needed distraction for her team.

"This group of girls is just one big family," Craft said. "This season is something they'll have for the rest of their lives. In the devastation, there is a light and there's something for us to look forward to."

On Sunday, Eliott C. McLaughlin and Madeline Holcombe of CNN reported the Camp Fire had been 100 percent contained after it burned since Nov. 8. The death toll reached at least 88, with nearly 250 more people still missing, and the fire destroyed almost 19,000 structures, including about 14,000 homes.

ESPN.com noted the Paradise boys team scored an 80-62 win over Chico, while the girls team suffered a 56-22 defeat Monday night.

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