Halftime of the Bates men’s basketball matchup against Williams on Friday, Jan. 30, featured more than a break in the action. The Cat’s Call, a sports broadcast segment affiliated with The Bates Student, hosted a halftime show featuring a half-court shot competition.
The competition was emceed by Raegan White ‘26 (a staff writer for The Student) and Zoe Schaedle ‘26 (a managing editor for The Student), co-creators of the section.
The half-court shot competition marks the first live event that The Cat’s Call has hosted since its start.
The roughly 10-minute show featured three head-to-head rounds. First up were Bates baseball teammates Gibby Sullivan ‘26 and Kenny Carlisle ‘27. The second round saw Emma Lavallee ‘29 of the women’s lacrosse team face off against senior Jocelyn Belena, followed by a final matchup between football player Ryan Kimmel ‘27 and Felix Danishmed ‘26.
Students had the opportunity to self-nominate or enter their friends in a raffle for the half-court shot through The Cat’s Call Instagram page, The Bates Student, Bates Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and on Bates Today. The Cat’s Call also posted polls on its story where fans could vote on winners for each round. Votes were close, but 53 percent of voters favored Sullivan to win, 57 percent for Lavallee, and 62 percent for Kimmel.
Competitors raced against the clock in a four-shot challenge: starting with a dribble and layup, followed by a free throw, then a three-pointer from anywhere on the arc, and finally a half-court shot. Players had one minute and thirty seconds to complete the sequence, with a redemption twist allowing the second-place finisher a chance to steal the win by hitting the half-court shot within the time limit.
While no one drained the final shot, several came close, the ball rattling off the rim. Sullivan, Lavallee, and Kimmel emerged as winners of their respective rounds, proving voters right. They earned Bates merch and T-shirts as prizes. With strong student, parent, and fan engagement throughout halftime, the event proved a hit with 26 people voting in favor of another Cat’s Call live event.
Launched this fall, The Cat’s Call has hosted Bates teams with a focus on getting to know the players and highlighting the Bates athletic experience. White and Schaedle have also organized video interviews that played on the Jumbotron during one of the last home football games of the season.
More of their sports broadcast content can be found on their Instagram: @thecatscall.bates
