Fans fill the gymnasium on all sides, and Northwood players practice passing and rebounds on their half of the court. But on RM’s side of the gym floor, five senior starters stand in a close huddle. Kimberly Stamets, Victoria Cruz-Falk, Devon Goetz, Samantha Griffin, and Ann Weisgerber murmur words of last minute encouragement and motivation before tipoff. Due to water damage in the RM gym, the Rockets were unable to play their senior night game at home. However, being away from home court did not faze the team, who prevailed against Northwood with a final score of 54-29.
“We came into this game remembering last year’s overtime win against them so we weren’t cocky. Our coach tells us to respect all and fear none,” said senior Tori Cruz-Falk.
The scoreboard remained 0-0 for several minutes, with multiple shots from both teams that bounced off of the rim. However, the Rockets found their fire first and took off, aided by senior Kimberly Stamets’ skill at getting the ball down the court.
RM took the lead with a first basket by senior Ann Wiesgerber, and never looked back. RM made quick, decisive passes on their shooting circle to keep possession, and continually regained possession whenever Northwood tried to score on them.
“I think we started very strong because all seniors started and we just know each other’s tendencies. We know what we like to do on the court, and we help each other out”, said Stamets.
With a score of 11-1 RM at the beginning of the second quarter, Northwood was itching to make a comeback. Sophomore Melanie Osborne quickly shut them down, scoring four points for the Rockets early in the second quarter. Northwood’s next four points were scored only through free throws, and by halftime, RM was leading Northwood with a score of 27-5.
Northwood picked up the intensity in the third quarter, with both teams scoring back to back to back. Senior Linda Qiu led the scoring for the rockets with multiple three-point shots, with great plays by juniors Nya Hansberry, Mackenzie Harwood, and Madeleine Cheng as well.
“We support each other so much, and it really helps after a bad play to just get right back into the game,” reflected Stamets. The Rockets can always be heard yelling “D-UP” whenever they need to defend against a play, and their defense was clearly successful tonight. Northwood picked up their scoring toward the end of the game as well, making the score 51-20 with just over three minutes left in the game. Despite this rise in intensity, the Gladiators still couldn’t come close to stopping RM. At the final buzzer, RM had won 54-29, with points scored by over half of their players.
This win was not only memorable for all of the seniors, but for the whole RM girls’ basketball program. “We just got our tenth win of the season, which is the most wins our girls’ basketball team has gotten in the past 10 years,” said senior Samantha Griffin.
This year, RM girls’ basketball will graduate seven seniors: Alison Berman, Victoria Cruz-Falk, Devon Goetz, Samantha Griffin, Linda Qiu, Kimberly Stamets, and Ann Weisgerber. All of these seniors have worked hard, played hard, and given their all to the team. Their passion and skill will be dearly missed next season.
“I think the best part [of tonight] was watching the seniors play in their last regular season game and seeing how far they’ve come and all their hard work pay off. They’re all amazing teammates and people and they completely deserved this win tonight,” said junior Madeleine Cheng. Congratulations to the seniors and the rest of the team, and be sure to catch the Rockets in action in the playoffs.
