Moline Students Step Up With Tornado Relief $ For Hoops Foe

They may have been dogged opponents on the court last night, but Moline High School students put aside their competitiveness to help their foes recover from this week's deadly tornado.

The Moline and Ottawa boy's basketball teams met for the Class 4A Regional championship on Friday night at United Township high school, but before the game, Moline students presented a check for $4,800 they raised to help victims of the tornado that struck Ottawa on Tuesday night.

The Quad City Times reports that Ottawa athletic director Mike Cooper was in awe of the Moline school district's generosity.

"This is unbelievable," he said, "for Moline kids to be able to come up with that much in just a couple of days. I mean, we are not a Rock Island or an East Moline. We are Ottawa, not a big rivalry of theirs. And yet, out of the kindness of their hearts, they took it upon themselves to do this."

Moline won the game 57-50 to capture a Regional Title for first time since 2011.