By Jose Arredondo | Photo by Tiandra Rathey |
The basketball team has been dealing with injuries, after starting guards Bo Serros and Dante Melton both injured, and now, to make things worse, they’ve lost another returning letterman, Marcell Mayes, due to a knee injury. Melton is cleared to play in a few weeks but Serros and Mayes are both out for the season.
But the Riders come together and adjust each game. The Riders have won three of the last five games they have played, after coming back from a 16 point deficit, the Riders fell short in overtime to Central Catholic.
The Riders faced the Brackenridge Eagles at Brack on Friday, a tough environment for the Riders; homecourt advantage would play a big part. Players could barely hear themselves think let alone hear each other speak.
“Oh man that crowd was loud I just wanted to silence this crowd and get out of here with a win,” senior Christopher Wadell said.
The game was just back and forth, with both teams just playing as if it were a playoff game. The Riders got in foul trouble early, and every call seemed to go to the Eagles’ direction in their favor.
In the fourth quarter the game had more than five lead changes and Roosevelt, down by 1, got a foul call with 1 second left. The Riders hit one free throw and missed the second. In overtime, the Riders get a quick five- point lead, and the Eagles get a few more foul calls. Ss three Riders players foul out, the game is tied once again; each possession was huge.
It took another quarter to decide this chess match, second overtime for the Riders. Senior Stephen Marshall, having a huge game, got a shot and the foul, then on next possesion got a huge dunk, and the momentum shifts in favor of the Riders.
Marshall had to be pulled out of the game due to a painful bloody mouth injury, and Riders were down to their last five players. The Eagles tied the game with 9 seconds left, as senior guard JaKory Davis takes ball down court. Roosevelt isolates offense, Davis takes the ball down to lane spins and hits a fadeaway jumper to win the game for the Riders.
“When we went isolation I knew I was going to be the one to take the last shot, but I wanted to be that one to win it for my team and my shot went in” Davis said.
The Riders face Corpus Christi Carroll tonight at home in the gym.
