East vs. South Basketball Recap

The Lancer boys’ varsity basketball team fell short to the Shawnee Mission South Raiders last Friday, Feb. 24.

The Raiders dominated the court at the start of the game, beating the Lancers 14-9 at the end of the first quarter. Even with crucial shots made by senior Trevor Thompson in an attempt to lessen the score difference toward the end of the first quarter, the Raider offense overpowered their defense.

“At the beginning of the game, it took a little bit of effort for us to get into our playing mind set, but eventually we were able to really focus and do what we needed to with the ball,” sophomore Anderson Maddox said.

The second quarter started out in much the same way as the first, with the Raider offense taking off against the Lancer defense. The quarter ended again with a five point deficit for the Lancers, now the Raiders leading 29-24. Even with both teams fighting hard for the lead, the Raiders drained a three close to the end of the first quarter, taking away the hopes of going into the third quarter with a lead from the Lancers.

But the adrenaline the Lancer’s felt in the first and second quarters transferred into the third quarter and the team finally got into the rhythm of their offense and defense. The game turned around and the Lancer’s finally took control tying the game at 32 all with 5:19 left in the quarter.

As soon as the Lancer’s saw an opportunity to pull ahead, they did so with three minutes left in the quarter. With a score of 38-37, the team’s defense was able to secure the lead until the end of the third quarter, beating the Raiders 44-41.

The fourth quarter was a battle between both teams, with the lead fluctuating back and forth between the Lancers and the Raiders. In the end it all came down to free throws. With a greater percentage of free throws made in the fourth quarter, the Raiders were able to take the final lead, beating the Lancers 67-62.

“The atmosphere was awesome and it was really fun,” Maddox said. “I wish a few more things would have gone our way so we won, but still a really cool game to be a part of.”