Rockets watch party raises $100K for Santa Fe Memorial Fund

Thousands of Rockets fans poured into the Toyota Center on Saturday night for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals despite the series shifting back to the Bay Area. The Houston franchise opened up the building for just $10 per ticket to support the Santa Fe Memorial Fund. The simple gesture led to a sold out event that helped raise thousands of dollars for the suburban community.

In all, the Rockets sold 10,000 tickets with proceeds going to help the victims from the May 18th shooting at a high school outside Houston that left ten dead and another dozen wounded. The $100,000 donation is just the latest way the Rockets have volunteered to help the suburban community heal.

Team owner Tilman Fertitta donated 300 tickets to Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to the senior class at Santa Fe High School along with first responders. That night the club also used the in-house 50/50 raffle to raise more money for the memorial fund.

“We’re just trying to do our little bit that’s all,” Fertitta, who was raised in Galveston County near Santa Fe, told a local TV station KPRC. “Just trying to make a special day where 30 years from now they think about going to that Western Conference final game instead of what they had to go through their last few days of being a senior.”

In addition to the work being done by the Rockets, Houston Texans star J.J. Watt has committed to covering the costs for funeral services for those who died in the shooting.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee