Milford basketball teams to play at The Palace

Milford girls and boys varsity basketball teams are getting a royal opportunity to play at The Palace of Auburn Hills at beginning with the girls game at 6 p.m. The boys team follows on Sunday, Jan. 22nd against South Lyon.

This is the same Palace that many Detroit Pistons greats have played at such as Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Ben Wallace and current star Andre Drummond.  Players are looking forward to playing on the same courts as these legends.

“I’m very excited because it’s where the best of the best play and that’s an honor,” boys varsity guard, junior Aiden Warzecha said.

Members of the girls team were also excited about the opportunity.

¨I think it’s a pretty cool experience because not many people get to do this in their lives and I think it will be cool to be on the same court as some of those legends,” said senior Natalie Killingbeck. “I’m looking forward to see how it feels to be on the court and it will be a great experience.”

This is a rare opportunity that most schools don’t get to experience, and everyone involved is excited and wants to take the time to cherish this experience. However, both teams hope this experience turns into another number in the win column.

The boys team is currently on a role, winning four of its last five games and currently sits at 6-3 overall. Meanwhile, the girls sit at 3-5 and after their 56-48 win in double overtime over Grand Blanc last Friday and a loss to Brighton Tuesday. 

Coach Gilbert certainly doesn’t think playing at The Palace will have any impact on his team’s performance.

“I think we are playing good basketball right now. Anyone can beat us, but we also feel like we can beat anyone. But it is certainly a very winnable game for us,” said Gilbert.

While it is technically an away game for both teams, it is expected that there will be a good number of students in attendance and that it will present a good atmosphere at the game, as there was a two-for-one ticket deal for entry into the girls and boys varsity games as well as the Pistons game the night before against the Washington Wizards for anyone who was interested in attending the varsity games. Milford will even have its own fan bus that will take students to and from the varsity game.

Many people also know that this is the last season for the Pistons at The Palace. This makes the event more special and it should be a great night with a couple of great basketball games going on.

“Having watched Pistons games there, it’s great for the athletes,” said Gilbert. “It’s the last year at The Palace, so it’s a really good experience.”