Nearly two months after wrapping up their season at the state tournament in Murfreesboro, the senior members of the Science Hill Lady Hilltoppers basketball team returned to their home gym to be honored.
Instead of practicing basketball, the seniors practiced social distancing as they received an honor that is normally handed out at the team’s end-of-season banquet. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the players received their “Once a ‘Topper, Always a ‘Topper” keepsake, a framed portrait of the uniform they wore at the school, from their coaches in a safe environment.
This ceremony has become a tradition for the Science Hill girls’ basketball program. For the past eight years, John and Faye Smith have presented the portraits to senior members of the team, an idea inspired by a print the Smiths have of Tony Delk’s Kentucky Wildcat uniform.
The Science Hill girls finished the season with a 28-8 record, which earned them a berth in the state tournament.
