By Connor Hawthorne, Sports Editor
After the victory against Atholton a few weeks ago at an away game, the River Hill team was back again Friday night and ready to defend their home court against the Atholton team once again. As fans piled into the stands, the energy in the air was palpable. In accordance with the pink-out theme, The student section was a solid wall of pink ready to support their team. While the teams warmed up on the court, the crowd could hardly wait for the game to begin.
River Hill and Atholton have long sustained an athletic rivalry. Many students from River Hill and Atholton went to elementary and middle school together. This gives the River Hill–Atholton basketball game a sense of competition unique to other games this season. Rivalry games are hard to predict because the especially strong emotions and desire to beat the other team mean anything can happen. Coach Graves, the varsity head coach explains how “when you have a rivalry game you can throw the record out the window.”
With the crowd cheering the players came onto the court, ready to play and determined to beat Atholton once again. The Atholton team was intent on winning after losing on their home court early in the season.
Atholton started the game out extremely strong, scoring nineteen points in the first quarter against the fourteen by River Hill. In the second quarter, Atholton kept up their momentum, lengthening their lead to over ten points at one point in the game. Their players clearly were determined to hold nothing back. Coach Graves describes how “They shot 60% in the field in the first half.” However, the team still had energy as “we knew that would eventually start working its way down so we made our run in the third quarter.”
Many River Hill students in the crowd had become discouraged and mentally wrote the game off as lost; however, the team refused to write back. After sitting down for halftime many people in the crowd continued sitting for the beginning of the third quarter. They were quickly roused back onto their feet by an angry coach Breon, who exhorted them to support the team. River Hill came flying back in the third quarter scoring shot after shot with the team finally taking the lead 61-60 at the end of the third quarter. Coach Graves describes how “In the third quarter we really had enthusiasm, had a backbone, showed that it was a rivalry game so let’s bring it and see what happens in the end.”
During the fourth quarter, the excitement in both crowds had reached a fever pitch. Everyone stood eagerly to see who would come out on top as the fourth quarter began. Through the beginning of the fourth quarter River Hill maintained their slim lead. Nearing the end of the fourth quarter, the team was just trying to hang on and maintain their lead, when Atholton made a three point shot putting them ahead by two points and with less than a minute on the clock. This was River Hills’ time to strike, and they rapidly brought the ball down to the court. They needed to make this shot in order to tie the game and send it into overtime. As River Hill took their shot, the audience held their breath as the ball landed on the rim, and fell the wrong way into the hands of Atholton.
The crowd was devastated as they knew now that the game was over. Coach Graves explained how his team put up a good effort at the end, “We had a great look, I wouldn’t trade that in, anytime you have anything within ten feet for a possible way to tie the game up I can’t argue with it.” Unfortunately, River Hill ended up losing the game 70-74.
The team still has an amazing record of 13 wins with just two losses. Undoubtedly the basketball team still has a lot to accomplish this season. As coach Graves puts it, “sometimes a little luck is on your side, sometimes it’s not and Atholton hit the shots they needed to win the game.”