As part of its commitment to strengthening ties between the Shawnee State community and the Scioto County community, the athletic department at Shawnee State, in conjunction with the Shawnee State women's basketball program, held the Courtside Cubs Community Day game against Simmons (Ky.) Wednesday afternoon at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.

A roaring crowd of approximately 650 kids from West Middle School, Portsmouth Middle School, and East Middle School as well as teachers and staff from those three schools and faculty and staff from Shawnee State in a thrilling afternoon of basketball.

The kids in attendance were treated to a 39-point victory (81-42) by the Shawnee State women's basketball program, who posted its 920th victory in program history Wednesday.

Kids cheered loudly, in particular when the Bears approached to, and surpassed, the 67-point total in honor of the Internet meme 6-7. Because Shawnee State, which had 66 points, scored a two-point bucket to get to 68 during the fourth quarter, the young boys and girls in attendance only cheered louder when the Bears hit 76 points in the same quarter.

Following the contest, kids from all three school systems stayed, some up to 45 minutes after the game's conclusion, to get autographs and take pictures with women's basketball players, the coaching staff and more.

"A special thank you goes out to West, Portsmouth and East for their attendance and great turnout today to cheer on the Bears," Shawnee State Athletic Director Gerald Cadogan said. "We were extremely thankful to have them at Waller Gymnasium and so appreciate their support. The atmosphere was lively and cathartic all game long, and it was entirely a credit to the kids from each of those schools.

Photos from Wednesday's contest are at the below link, courtesy of Mandie Jones Photography:

https://ssubears.com/galleries/womens-basketball/courtside-cubs-ssu-81-simmons-/275.
   
The women's basketball program at Shawnee State returns to action Friday, Nov. 14 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, Nov. 15 (12 p.m.) with home contests against Madonna (Mich.) and Carolina (N.C.).

For more on the Shawnee State women's basketball program, visit the Bears on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shawneestatebears_wbb/ or on X at https://x.com/SSUWBB.