By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the Roosevelt Roughriders traveled to Sammamish, Washington, to take on the Eastside Catholic Crusaders on their home court.
The Crusaders won the opening tip and got on the board first when Talia Cermak knocked down a three-point shot, but Roosevelt quickly answered right back with Audrey Richardson scoring the Roughriders first two points of the night. After a few early baskets on both sides, Roosevelt began to take over and control the tempo with strong rebounding and a consistent offensive rhythm, highlighted by a three-point shot from Ellery Burke-Brown and a steal-and-layup by Emma Curtis as Roosvelt too an early 10–7 lead.
Eastside Catholic kept the game close with multiple players taking trips to the free-throw line and a couple of finishes by Amy Nduka, but Roosevelt kept responding with timely shots, including three-point shots from Burke-Brown and Sloane Sprangers, and a putback by Curtis after a missed layup. The Crusaders quickly called a timeout and followed Nduka going to the line for a 1-point conversion, but despite the Crusaders’ success, Roosevelt continued to dominate the court. With a minute left in the opening quarter, Sprangers drained a three-point shot, which Nduka followed with one of her own, bringing the score to 25-18 in favor of Roosevelt, as the first quarter came to an end.
Eastside Catholic started the second quarter more aggressively, with Sa’Fine Sampson knocking down two free throws and Nduka scoring inside the paint to bring the score within three, 25-22. Roosevelt briefly answered with a basket from Burke-Brown but the Crusaders’ began to intensify their defensive pressure. Nduka came up with a steal and converted a fast-break layup before Cermak hit a three-point shot to tie the game at 27 with 4:33 left in the first half.
Roosevelt’s shooting ability from outside was impressive, and they were just started to heat up. Giselle Dollar would connect on another three-point shot for the Roughriders. Despite the hot shooting by Roosevelt, Eastside Catholic managed to stay composed, getting a tough finish from Nduka and tightening up and intensifying their own defensive efforts. Dollar would hit another three-point shot, and Nduka would respond with a three of her own to give the Crusaders a two-point lead at 35-33.
Roosvelt would keep things close behind a layup by Zaya Hooker, and strong efforts from Burke-Brown, but the Crusaders closed the first half at the free-throw line, as Sampson converted two points with one second remaining to give the Crusaders a 39–35 lead entering halftime.
Roosevelt’s Carmen Derda scored the first points of the third quarter, but Eastside Catholic quickly responded and took control with a 7-0 run fueled by defense and aggressive play in the paint, as they increased their lead to 46-37, after points that included a basket by Nduka, a fadeaway by Sophie Lugolobi, two-points chipped in by Raquel Dunnam, and a 1-point conversion at the line by Lugolobi.
Roosevelt followed with sending Emma Curtis to the line, where she would knock down two free throws, bringing the score to 46-39, still with the Crusaders in the lead. However, a putback from Tavia Carter, and big plays and points contributions from Lugolobi and Nduka, allowed the Crusaders to extend their lead to 52-40.
Eastside continued to attack, getting to the free-throw line repeatedly as Lugolobi and Nduka consistently drew fouls from Roosevelt. While Roosevelt tried to stay close in score with free throws and inside scoring from Richardson and Curtis, they were showing signs of struggle, but they didn’t lose hope. After a late timeout by Eastside Catholic, Nduka stepped up her intensity even more, scoring on a layup and then hitting two more from the line to extend the Crusaders lead to 56-48. With just 20 seconds left on the clock, Roosevelt finished the third quarter with a smooth layup form Dollar, as they cut the deficit to six points, 56-50, heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with Eastside Catholic extending its lead as Tavia Carter converted two free throws, but Roosevelt quickly answered and began to build some momentum. After a basket by Curtis, Dollar would connect on a two-point and three-point shot, consecutively. Curtis would follow with a steal that led to a layup by Richardson, as they Roughriders cut the Eastside Catholic lead to one point, 60-59, after trailing by 12 points, forcing Eastside Catholic to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Roosevelt continued to build momentum, as Burke-Brown drained a long three-point shot. The teams alternated back-and-forth in scoring, with exciting plays from Roosevelt’s Burke-Brown, while the Crusaders’ Nduka and Dunnam kept the game close. But the Roughriders kept coming. Free throws from Richardson and Dollar, and a steal and a quick two points from Curtis helped Roosvelt push their lead. In the final minute of the game, Roosevelt was playing like a well-oiled machine, with midcourt steals and trips to the line. Roosevelt remained alert at the line and took advantage of all the Crusaders’ turnovers, while Eastside Catholic struggled to connect and get some clean shots at the basket. The clock quickly ran out, and Roosevelt sealed a 77-70 victory in a great matchup.
After the game, Roosevelt’s new head coach A’li Wilson said that the girls showed what it means to be resilient.
“They played as a team when it mattered most. They made adjustments as needed and executed down the stretch,” said Wilson. “Our defense really sparked some crucial turnovers that we were able to convert, which ultimately led to our comeback. We made every possession in the final few minutes count.”
Photos/Tyler Artis
