Coaches vs. Cancer has been benched; for the third time, severe winter weather left Knoxville High School unable to hold the girls and boys basketball fundraiser…and with no more make-up dates left on the schedule, organizers have been forced to scrap their original plans.

Instead, the event will now be spread out over two days; it will begin this evening, as the girls wear their pink uniforms for the game against Van Meter — itself a last-minute addition to the schedule. Cookies and ice cream will be on sale, and girls basketball coach Jim Uitermarkt hopes the team draws a larger-than-usual crowd for a solo girls game. Tip-off is at 6:15 p.m.

Then on Saturday, the boys JV and varsity games against Grinnell will feature many of the promotions usually held during a Coaches vs. Cancer night — the silent auction, the Chuck-a-Duck rubber duck toss, the 46 second sprint and the quilt raffle.

Five senior girls will also cut their hair, for donation to a charity which provides wigs for children who have lost their own hair.

Uitermarkt says they will have to dispense with the cancer survivors tribute, since the participants will be unable to attend. But he hopes Panthers fans will make the best of the situation, and come out to support their teams for Coaches vs. Cancer.