Peabody-Burns’ Friday home games against Herington featured special recognition of alumni from the school’s 1953 state championship basketball team, and 1963 Class BB championship team.

The support fed into the Warriors’ play on the court, girls coach Travis Schafer said.

The girls lost 57-32, but Schafer said the alumni support inspired the team to put in its best performance of the season.

“For the girls, it was a huge morale boost to see those people in the crowd,” he said.

The boys lost 59-45 to Herington, but having both Peabody-Burns teams remain competitive was key in keeping the crowd engaged, Schafer said.

“Having all those people back who had won a state championship or had been on a previous team they heard about was of significance,” he said.

The event was important for alumni, too, because they were able to connect with people who might have moved away, Schafer said.

“For the community and the school system it was a huge success,” Travis Schafer said. “It was getting people in who haven’t been back in a while and getting the community and school together again.”

The welcome-home event drew a bigger crowd than even Peabody-Burns’ homecoming, Schafer said.

“Attendance was up from even that,” he said. “It almost felt like when I played, when you would pack a gym just because people wanted to watch.

“Seeing a full side of the bleachers packed with people, that was definitely one of the highlights of my coaching career so far.”