'Think pink' for tonight's SHS hoops games

SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint High School Bulldog varsity boys and girls basketball teams are encouraging fans to show their support in pink tonight, rather than the usual red and white.

During tonight's games, the teams will host the first "Breast Cancer Awareness Night" in support of Marilyn Ward.

"We found out in the fall that Marilyn had breast cancer," said Will Love, assistant coach for the varsity girls. "She has meant so much to the team. Being Coach Ward's wife, she's done a lot for the girls."

Ward's husband, Duane Ward, is the girls' head coach and she has a granddaughter on the team. Some of the things she does for the girls, Love said, is make pillows for their road trips and shows her support for them at every game. Since her diagnosis, Ward has been undergoing treatment every three weeks in Spokane, Love said.

"When we found out about that, I definitely wanted to do something," Love said. "This is something I have been wanting to do since I started coaching, and this gave us a reason to do it."

The event will bring awareness and support for all breast cancer patients, as well as raise money for Celebrate Life, a local nonprofit, so they can provide help for area cancer patients. In addition, it is a goal of the event to make the public aware of breast cancer and encourage women to get mammograms. Love said they hope to make it an annual event.

Everyone is encouraged to come to tonight's game and wear pink to show support. Both the girls and boys teams will wear pink shirts when they are not playing, and pink wristbands for when they are in the game.

A drawing will be held during the evening for five pink shirts. Tickets are $3 each and will be sold the day of the event at school and at the games. Derick Driggs will run 3-point shooting competitions during the halftime of both the girls and boys varsity games for $1 per shot. One hundred percent of all donations will go to Celebrate Life.

Bonner General Health's imaging department will have Laura Donnelly, registered X-ray mammography technologist, will be set up at a table to provide information, and Celebrate Life will have banners and a table set up as well.

The girls varsity basketball game begins at 5:30 p.m., and the boys varsity basketball game begins at 7 p.m.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.