By Meghan Foley
On Friday, January 30th, varsity girls’ basketball played the Medway Mustangs for the second time this season after being beaten by them 34–65 back in December. Going into this game, the Raiders had a record of 6–8 to the Mustangs’ 10–2.
Captain Meredith Gibbs had a strong start to the game with a rebound, a steal, and a block only a few minutes into the game. Monica Gibbs and Jazmin Hancock made good rebounds, and Captain Leah Hills rebounded a three-point shot attempt and quickly sent the ball back to her teammate for another try. Meredith Gibbs made a three-pointer and she and Hills teamed up on defense to make a steal that went out of bounds.
The second quarter looked a little less hopeful for the Raiders, starting down 3–13 with Meredith Gibbs eliminated from the rest of the game after sustaining a shoulder injury only 10 seconds in. Monica Gibbs subbed in for her and hit a three-pointer about a minute later, while Dover-Sherborn had a defensive highlight when their tight coverage against an inbounding Medway play forced a clock violation. Addisyn Murphy got a bucket and Emily Darnin executed a pick and roll. However, most of the Raider’s shots refused to fall, and they left the half down 15–33.
In the third quarter, Jazmin Hancock had a big moment when she tore the ball away from an opponent trying to recover possession and then immediately turned and hit a three-point shot, bringing the score up to 18–33. On another play, Hancock got herself under the basket and open for a pass, which she quickly put up for another two points. Mia Griebel made a rebound on one play, while on another Monica Gibbs made a steal on defense and then powered down the court for a layup. Fans were cheering when Hancock made a steal off of a Medway inbound. She passed it to Gibbs who was fouled while shooting, and the crowd got even louder. During other plays, Addisyn Murphy made a great fake before passing the ball, Hancock made a rebound, and Rory Hartnett managed to keep the ball inbounds by sending a pass to Gibbs.
The Raiders were managing to close in on the Mustangs, beginning the fourth quarter with a score of 33–44. Hancock made another bucket thanks to a pass from Hartnett. Emily Darnin made a rebound and later Murphy drained a three and got a rebound on defense. Gibbs played some strong defense on one play but ended up being called for it. The Raiders didn’t back down though, and on the next play Hancock kept up the close defense, staying with a Mustang while she ran the length of the Dover-Sherborn half before she was left with no choice but to pass it away. As the game drew to a close, the Raiders refused to relent, and Addisyn Murphy was all over a Medway player, poking at the ball and keeping her on her toes. Unfortunately, the game still ended with a 39–56 loss for the Raiders.
The Raiders’ next game will be at Norton High School to face the Lancers (4–10) on Friday, February 6th at 6:00. The Raiders beat out the Lancers by just one point at 38–37 only a few weeks ago. Then on Tuesday, February 10th, they will travel to Bellingham High to play the Blackhawks (5–10), also for the second time this season, after beating them 51–44 earlier this month. Their final regular season game will be on Friday, February 13th at home where they will look for revenge against the Millis Mohawks (11–4) at 5:45, having lost to them 41–57 earlier this year. The Raiders’ full schedule can be found at: www.arbiterlive.com.
