The sky, cloudy.

The streets, sleek.

The mountains, snowcapped.

The hillsides, scarred.

The gym, hopeful.

Since the destruction from the Eaton and Palisades fires uprooted entire communities, the CIF Southern Section, the high school governing body in Southern California, has waived restrictions on Sunday sporting activities for victims of the wildfires that raged through large swaths of Los Angeles County.

The CIF decision prompted the scheduling of a matchup between teams nearly 30 miles apart from one another. And though they are separated by freeways and skyscrapers, both groups were feeling similar impacts.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, the St. Francis and Palisades high school communities gathered at the Golden Knights' gym in La Cañada Flintridge for what the boys' basketball teams called "Rebound Together," a slate of games that served as a fundraising event for victims of the fires. Proceeds were split between the two groups from an event that included raffle prizes, a bake sale and a junior varsity and varsity game.

"As a coach, you always want to do more for others and that's why we do this," St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson said. "Yeah, it's a job, we get paid to coach, but we don't just do this for the money. It's for helping others. They got struck so hard and so did we, and any way we can raise money for the both of us just makes sense. Sports brings people together — communities together. I think La Cañada and Palisades had an hour and a half to forget about the tragic time and enjoy some basketball."

Fans packed the stands for the varsity game. Tickets were $11 for entry and $10 for raffle tickets. Wolfson said the day raised about $8,000.

"It's awesome," said Wolfson of the turnout. "The city of La Cañada is — since I've gotten here 11 years ago — an amazing place to work. It's an amazing city. The support here is unlike anything I've ever seen. From Day 1, I've felt welcome in the city of La Cañada and it's showing how they're making our team feel welcome in a tragic and tough time."

The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres, killed 17 people, destroyed more than 9,000 structures and damaged at least another 1,000 buildings. The Palisades Fire scorched more than 23,000 acres, claimed 12 lives, and destroyed nearly 6,900 structures and damaged another 1,000.

The majority of the Palisades team was under mandatory evacuation orders after the fire broke out on Jan. 7. Dolphins coach Jeff Bryant said seven players in the program lost their homes. Sunday's game provided an opportunity for the team to spend a day in the gym and try to focus on something else for a change, he said.

"It shows unity," said Bryant of the nonleague event. "It shows that the basketball community is a brotherhood. I think it's good for us to get out here and outside of our league. It's always good, especially around these times to play basketball because it gives not only the boys a distraction but the parents."

Freshman Stephan Karibyan was one of the St. Francis players who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. Karibyan, whose family is staying at a house in Glendale near Wilson Middle School, said basketball has been a big part in keeping his mind busy through everything. Teammates have rallied to provide basketballs and uniforms for Karibyan and other affected members of the Golden Knights squad.

"They've definitely been trying to get me to keep my head up because they're like family to me," said Karibyan of his teammates. "Without them, I don't know if I will be able to be this happy. I give a lot of the credit to them."

Attending Sunday's event to support his son was Brentwood resident Adrian Cunningham. His son, Julian, is a sophomore starter on the Palisades varsity team. At the moment, he said the Dolphins are like "nomads," playing and holding practice at area gyms like Santa Monica's Memorial Park gym and high schools such as Santa Monica High, St. Monica Preparatory and Venice High.

"It's like we're on tour," Cunningham said. "It's like a band on tour. It's like we're playing gigs."

Bryant, who serves as the so-called tour manager, said it's been "busy" figuring out where the team will practice and play its games. For now, the team's "home" gym is either at St. Monica Prep in Santa Monica or Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

"We just have to be road warriors," Bryant said. "That's what it's going to be like in the playoffs and we just have to get used to it now."

Cunningham is from Dublin and his family moved to Los Angeles about a year and a half ago after previously living in Canada for over a decade.

As the Santa Ana winds started bustling into the Southland, Cunningham didn't think much of it. He said in Ireland those powerful gusts would be considered a "breeze." But when the wind started really kicking in, coupled with the sudden growth of the fire, Cunningham knew it was no joke.

The family was in an evacuation warning zone, and was prepared and ready for the call to leave its home.

"At the moment basketball, or sport in general, is being deployed as a unifier, not only for the school but also for the students," he said. "It's something to plug into while the staff sorts out the logistics of moving back and when we're moving back — stuff like that."

It wasn't until Cunningham looked at a map while heading to St. Francis when he realized that the team was visiting another affected fire area. The destination and the event's goal provided a "unique" experience for the group.

"I've seen efforts like this that are so important," he said. "There are a couple of donation stations out in Santa Monica and it's just incredible. They're like supermarkets with the amount of stuff they had. But this is amazing and it's a great turnout. We're thrilled to be here."

The St. Francis community has been raising funds and donating goods to its families heavily impacted by the Eaton Fire. The school quickly responded to help families, creating an online donation drive a day after the fire broke out. The website, sfhslc.ejoinme.org/eatonfire, is still up.

Cupcakes, brownies, homemade Rice Krispies treats and cookies were among the sweets sold at the bake sale, along with Sour Patch Kids and Gatorade. Raffle prizes ranged from a Patagonia duffle bag with a $1,000 gift card, tickets to various sporting events like an LAFC or L.A. Galaxy soccer match, gift cards to a variety of restaurants such as Woon and Yard House, and even St. Francis merchandise provided by the school's family guild. Wolfson won a gift card to Millie's Cafe in Pasadena.

Stephanie Arnold is a volunteer for the St. Francis family guild, which has played a big role in the school's effort to help impacted families. Arnold, whose sons play for the basketball program, has helped make clothing and school merchandise for the family guild.

"We have a lot of friends who did lose everything," said Arnold, an LCF resident who was under a mandatory evacuation order during the height of the Eaton Fire. "That's why this event means so much and even being able to give back in a little way is really important."

The guild has put together care packages and offered "fluff and fold" services for families who lost their homes or have been displaced. Considering St. Francis has a dress code, Arnold wanted to make sure students have everything they needed to come back to campus.

"We spent a lot of time putting together the care packages for these different families so that at the very least when kids come to school, it feels normal," Arnold said.

For the raffle, the family guild bundled a care package full of St. Francis swag. Arnold also purchased a few treats from the bake sale at the event, which she said goes beyond the sport.

"This program is so good about teaching that it's more than basketball," Arnold added. "If basketball can bring the kids together and realize that there's more than just what happens on the court, I think it's really important. You can just see it with the families here. There's really wonderful energy today."

A day after his Hoover High boys' basketball team faced Crescenta Valley High in a Pacific League matchup, Tornados coach Ryan Barseghian was out at St. Francis High officiating the junior varsity game, which the Golden Knights won 69-39.

"I was a referee before I was a coach, and I just love the game and referring is just another angle of the game," he said. "I started as a player, and I still play, but there's an angle of the game as a player and an angle of the game as a coach and an angle of the game as a referee. Each angle that you learn helps the other aspect of the game, so refereeing helps me coach."

In the varsity game, the Golden Knights pulled away late, defeating the Dolphins 64-50. The referees in the varsity game donated their earnings for the day to the relief fund.

Senior Noah Henry led the Golden Knights with 20 points and five three-pointers, while junior DeLan Grant added 17 points and 12 rebounds. For Palisades, junior Kye Davis scored 19 points and sophomore Jack Levey had 12.

Grant, a Bel Air resident, had to be evacuated from the Palisades Fire. He and his family stayed in a home in Carson for a few days while firefighters fended off the fire that was threatening both Brentwood and Bel Air. To play on a Sunday was "huge" for Grant, especially for what he called a "greater cause."

"Both teams suffered so much, so it was good to get out there," Grant said. "It was still competitive. They're a really good team and we're a really good team, so it was good to get out there to fight for a win. To share the court with them knowing that we both had some time off because of some tragedy, it was good to get back out there."