In the last game of the regular season, RM’s girls basketball team beat Northwood 53-26 on their senior night. A total of 4 seniors were recognized; Madeleine Cheng, Adrionne Jenkins, Mackenzie Harwood and Nya Hansberry. Each senior started and spearheaded the team’s efforts toward their final regular-season victory, bringing their record to an unprecedented 16-6.
The commemorative battle commenced, except players held a mindset no different than for any other game. “We wanted to come out here and play it like like you would a regular game,” commented Coach Oakes. The only differences were the posters, balloons, and roaring crowd of friends and family that lined the gym in support of the graduating class.
Once the clock began, Hansberry went to work in the paint and helped the Rockets earn their first few points over the Gladiators at post. Senior-to-be Melanie Osborne joined her elders on the court and chimed in with swift ball handles, blocks and turnovers which allowed RM to earn a convincing lead quickly. With two minutes left in the first quarter, Cheng pulled up for a three-pointer before assisting in the Rockets’ tight man-on-man defense. At the end of the quarter, RM led 13-5.
In the second quarter, Jenkins introduced a strategic give-and-go pass that proved effective in piercing the Gladiator defense. While Northwood struggled with the shot clock on offense, the Rockets racked up points on their side of the court with help from Harwood’s jump shot. As the Gladiators grappled with a scarcity of scoring and RM kept their fouling to a minimum, the Rockets easily pulled farther ahead to a 25-9 lead at the half.
After the half, Richard Montgomery continued to dominate as Northwood wrestled with some errant passing and more turnovers. Fortunately, the Rockets did not share in their opponents’ distress, and rather flourished with an increase of rebounds and clever passing around the circle. Despite many near-opportunities, RM limited the Gladiators to 14 points by the end of the quarter, while their own score totaled to 39.
In the last few minutes of the game, both teams saw the chance to switch around their lineup. While Northwood returned players reaching fouling jeopardy, Richard Montgomery retired their seniors with much due applause and replaced them with some younger talent. Even though the Gladiators hit a short scoring spree, it was merely a marginal threat to the Rockets as the team held their own for the last few minutes of the game. The victory had been won, 53-26 RM.
Once it was all said and done, the seniors expressed great satisfaction over the evening festivities. “It all went really well. We all played together, like a team,” exclaimed Jenkins. Cheng concurred, and added the significance of the game’s starting line-up. “We usually don’t get to play together at the same time, so it was nice to be able to do that,” she explained.
But with hopes of a promising post-season run, the emotions are delayed to a later date. “I think we can do all our crying after we win the state championship,” said Harwood, confidently. And with this destination in sight, the Rockets began their play-offs conquest.
