The crowd erupted in celebration as RM’s varsity girls basketball team held on for a narrow 61-58 victory over Gaithersburg at home on Tuesday night to open the season. The nail-biting finish concluded a call-and-response duel of intensity between the poised and composed Rockets and the honorable rivaling Trojans.

The RM girls quickly grabbed the lead at the start of the first quarter. Offensive efforts were led by junior starting forward Melanie Osborne and junior center Nusaibah Rashad. The Rockets’ strategic passing outside the paint lined up open shots to the basket. The Trojans had difficulty recovering rebounds on defense, which allowed the Rockets to pull ahead with points earned right under the basket.

It was not long into the first half when Gaithersburg began heading toward foul trouble. Junior starting guard Karon Williams used this to her advantage by aggressively charging the basket to pick up calls. Free-throws became crucial for the Rockets to maintain their lead throughout the game.

By the end of the first quarter alone, Gaithersburg had totaled 5 unanswered fouls. During the second quarter, the Rockets had earned their bonus and sent Osborne, Williams and Rashad to the line to rack up more points for Richard Montgomery. With just over a minute left in the half, Osborne made both of her free-throws to pull six points ahead. The Trojans gave one last endeavor to score a three-pointer, which brought the score at the half to 24-21, Rockets.

The ten minute half-time gave the Rockets an opportunity to talk strategy: Gaithersburg’s aggressive play could be twisted to work in Richard Montgomery’s favor if they could maintain their excellent free-throw percentages. “We knew that they were an emotional team, and we wanted to use that against them,” commented Coach Oakes.

The second half commenced with a fierce offensive barrage, catalyzed by strong post plays by Osborne and Rashad. The Trojans were shut down by Williams and teammate junior Kate Schuck, who pressured consistently to force turnovers.

Gaithersburg was shaken as the Rockets pulled ahead to a convincing 34-23 in the middle of the third quarter. The Trojans made a desperate attempt to press, but it had little effect on the play making passes that Richard Montgomery used to make their way down the court. Feeling the heat, the Trojans called their first timeout.

Soon into the fourth quarter, the Rockets began to receive their share of foul trouble as well. Senior forward Mackenzie Harwood and Rashad both spent time out of the game when they reached 4 personal fouls. Even after standing at a comfortable 46-31 lead with six minutes left on the clock, RM began to lose its lead.

Both teams achieved their bonuses after some frequent fouling. Gaithersburg had some critical charges toward the basket, but their efforts were combated with the Rockets’ stellar shooting performance from the line. Richard Montgomery’s defense stepped up and prevented open lanes to the basket all while forcing errant jump shots from the Trojans.

Sitting at 50-53 lead with 2:45 left in the game, the Rockets entered the final drive. Gaithersburg had many opportunities to shoot from the line, but the Rockets always remained one step ahead. The action went back and forth as each team took their turn inching up the score between free throws.

With 45 seconds left, the Rockets barely held their lead at 58-56. Osborne took her time dribbling down the court to ease the nerves of her teammates. She was fouled and that brought the score to 60-56, until Gaithersburg gave their final attempt at a comeback by scoring two more points. Williams took to the line one last time to secure the Rockets win at 61-58.

Despite never having a taste of a lead, the Trojans still provided a challenging match-up for the Rockets. “Overall, it was just a team effort for the good win,” explained Williams, topping at 14 points for the evening. Osborne guided the offensive performance with 20 points, and Rashad followed with 19.

With a thrilling win to the first game of their season, the Rockets are invigorated and eager to compete. “I think the team was able to overcome adversity, and that’s what I’m most proud of tonight,” concluded Coach Oakes. The team is looking to carry on the momentum as they travel Alexandria, VA to take on St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes on Friday December 9th.

Featured photo by Katie Spencer