Overcoming a slow start to the game, RM’s girls varsity basketball team came out victorious against Wheaton High School. Despite being a team easily beaten in the past, Wheaton came out strong and challenged the Rockets. However, an unrelenting team mentality led to the final outcome of 52-38, leaving the team with a record of 6-4 overall.

With a starting lineup including sophomore Melanie Osborne and seniors Devon Goetz, Kimberly Stamets, Tori Cruz-Falk, and Samantha Griffin, the team started strong, but soon lost momentum as Wheaton scored just 36 seconds into the game. A minute later, the Rockets fought back and Stamets connected with the basket to tie up the score.

The quarter continued in a similar way, but the Knights started to solidify their lead. The Rockets lost several rebounds that resulted in scoring opportunities for Wheaton. With five minutes remaining in the quarter, Coach Michael Oakes called a time out to discuss tactics. “We weren’t as composed in the beginning,” Goetz explained. “Yeah, we were just frantic,” agreed senior Ann Weisgerber.

The game recommenced, with the same five players still on the court. The team stepped it up, but another foul committed by the Rockets led to a free throw for Wheaton, bringing the score up to 2-6.

Senior Linda Qiu entered the game for Stamets, leading a bout of passing around the perimeter. A quick passing succession between Osborne and Cruz-Falk ended in Osborne connecting with the basket for a two-pointer. An inbound throw after a foul committed by Wheaton’s Breaunna Gatling allowed junior Mackenzie Harwood to hit junior Nya Hansberry in the paint, who drove to the basket only to turn over the ball to Wheaton’s Heven Haile.

This turnover led to another basket for Wheaton, but Goetz acted quickly and got off a long pass to Harwood, who promptly connected with the basket for another two points. Stamets replaced Hansberry on the court, and minutes later, a rebound won by Linda Qiu off of Stamets’ shot led to another two points, narrowing the gap between the scores.

The quarter ended with a score of 8-10, with Wheaton winning by a lead of only two points. The second quarter starters were Qiu, Osborne, Goetz, Griffin, and Stamets, and within 10 seconds of the start, Goetz got off a pass around the perimeter of the court to Osborne, who easily sunk her shot to tie up the game.

Wheaton’s drive to the basket was easily stopped by Stamets, but a 50-50 ball at Wheaton’s basket led to another two points for the Knights. Stamets countered quickly, easily making a layup and capturing a one-point lead for the Rockets.

Wheaton fought back harder, quickly driving to the basket twice, recapturing the lead by three points. Coach Oakes called another timeout, and as the game restarted, the team came onto the court with a renewed vigor.

After a missed free throw by Griffin, Qiu won the rebound, starting a passing succession with Goetz and Osborne, who connected with the basket yet again. A solid drive came from Wheaton, but Qiu easily blocked the shot, resulting in a 50-50 ball won by Osborne. With 2:35 minutes remaining in the first half, Wheaton’s coach called a timeout.

With a minute to go, an excellent defensive move by Griffin created the opportunity for Osborne to sink another shot, bringing the score up to 21-16. Almost immediately after, Goetz laid it off to Cruz-Falk for an easy lay up. A foul committed by RM gave up two points to Wheaton, but in the last five seconds, Cruz-Falk sent a long pass to Griffin on the other side of the court. She got a shot off, but the clock sounded the buzzer before the ball entered the basket, leaving the score at 23-18.

The second half opened with the original five starters. Unfortunately, Wheaton came out as strong as in the beginning of the first half, scoring in the first 15 seconds. However, where the Rockets had previously been frantic, they were now composed. “We stayed composed and played a smart game, and that definitely ended up helping us in the end… we really pulled it together after halftime,” Goetz said.

The team rose to the occasion, with Goetz scoring almost immediately after Wheaton’s basket. After her shot, Wheaton drove to the basket, but Goetz stole the ball and made a fast break down the court to sink an easy lay up. Soon after, she stole the ball again and went for a third basket in a row, but the rebound off the rim went to Wheaton, who expertly maneuvered their way to another basket.

With the Rockets up by seven points at 29-22, Wheaton tried to rally, but a series of unsuccessful shots came instead. A foul by Cruz-Falk led to two free throws, resulting in a one point increase in Wheaton’s total.

Wheaton gained possession of the ball and drove to their basket. An attempt at a three-pointer proved unsuccessful, and Stamets stole the ball. In the last seconds of the period, she attempted a lay up, but was stopped by the Knights’ defense. Despite this, the third quarter ended with the score at 37-25.

Starting out the fourth quarter were Qiu, Cruz-Falk, Goetz, Osborne, and sophomore Kate Schuck. The Rockets continued with their sharp shooting, with baskets by Osborne, Qiu, and Goetz. The Knights pushed back and went for another three-pointer, but it bounced off the rim as the rebound was won by Osborne, who laid it off to Qiu. Qiu was fouled and made both of her three throws.

With five minutes to go in the game and a score of43-28, the Knights called a timeout. As the teams restarted, Wheaton scored two more baskets in rapid succession, but it wasn’t enough for them to win back the lead.

A well executed round of passing between Weisgerber, Goetz, and Osborne led to another basket for Osborne. With 3:37 left on the clock, Oakes called another timeout. The Knights were still trailing by 12 points, but the team needed to stay focused and persevere.

Osborne got another two points quickly, and as Wheaton made a break down the court they turned over the ball to junior Madeleine Cheng. Cheng connected with Osborne, and a foul led to another free throw for Osborne.

In the last twenty seconds of the game, Wheaton made a three-pointer, but Osborne countered that with an easy two-pointer. With five seconds to go, Wheaton got in one last basket, but their efforts weren’t enough to win them the game. The Rockets triumphed, finishing with a score of 52-38.

“We were really determined to win and we pulled it out,” Weisgerber explained at the end of the game. Cruz-Falk also agreed, lauding their teamwork and their passing. “We passed around the perimeter and were patient with the ball,” she said.

However, the team’s victory will not leave them complacent. “We turned the ball over a lot, so we have to work on that…We still need to work on rebounding and making sure we rebound well throughout the game,” Griffin explained. The team will continue to work hard as they prepare for some of their tougher upcoming games against teams like Whitman and B-CC.

Overall, the team was proud of their performance. Goetz expanded, “I think it showed a lot of maturity, that we started out slow and kind of struggling and then we pulled it together.”