It'll be teacher-to-teacher defense on the court

A few high-school students will get the rare chance to bench their teachers during a basketball game Saturday at Buffalo Grove High School.

Hersey High School teachers and staff members will take on teachers and staff at Buffalo Grove High School to raise money for the Special Olympics. Tickets are $4, and the public is invited.

Students will coach each team.

"I'm sure the students will have fun telling us what to do," said John Novak, Hersey's assistant principal of student activities.

More than 60 staff members from both schools volunteered to either play in the game, cheerlead or referee. The game will consist of four eight-minute running-clock quarters, with two quarters designated for men and two for women.

Fans can also buy team T-shirts at the game for $8 to support their school. Buffalo Grove and Hersey are big rivals in their sports program, mostly because once students graduate from Thomas Middle School, they are split up and attend either Hersey or Buffalo Grove, Novak said.

The T-shirts will include the terms "border war," and "cross-town classic," said Buffalo Grove Assistant Principal Mark Schaetzlein.

"We're trying to get as many people as we can to come out, have a good time and raise some money," Schaetzlein.

If successful, the basketball game will return next year, Schaetzlein said.