In a rematch that fans had been anticipating since the thriller between the two schools earlier in the season, the Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders went on the road and defeated their rivals, the Bowie Bulldogs, 65-62.

The atmosphere within the Bowie gym was electric, as fans from both schools packed the room to the rafters. A legion of hopeful fans were left out in the cold during the game, scheduled for a 7:30 tip, when tickets for the contest sold out by 5:00 p.m.

Another welcome addition to the revelry of the matchup, Angie Ange of Washington, D.C. radio station 93.9 WKYS covered the game as part of her “Full-Court Fridays” series.

Propelled by their raucous home crowd, the Bulldogs burst out of the gates with an 11-0 run in the first 3:30 of the game. The visiting Raiders appeared simply overwhelmed before settling down and putting some points on the board. The Raiders’ deficit stood at 19-9 at the end of the opening period.

“We just missed some shots,” said Roosevelt Head Coach Brendan O’Connell. “But I thought

tonight we just kept believing, kept playing hard.”

Roosevelt fought during the second quarter to close the gap on the scoreboard, but it seemed as if every time they made a comeback the Bulldogs would have a prompt answer in the form of a big shot.

“We always say ‘next play, next play,’ commented senior guard Andre Fox on the Bulldogs’ scoring. “We just try to get the ball out and go right back at it.”

The Raiders continued to chip away at the Bulldogs’ lead throughout the game, and had cut the deficit to a mere four points by the end of the third quarter. A few minutes into the final period, Roosevelt pulled even with Bowie for the first time at 52-52 on a three-point shot by junior guard Larry McCan. From that point forward the Raiders and Bulldogs went back-and-forth until two key free-throws by Fox sealed the victory for Eleanor Roosevelt.

When asked how it felt to complete the regular-season sweep of Bowie, Coach O’Connell simply replied:

“It always feels good.”