The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at ERHS have both begun the 2012-13 season with stellar 9-0 starts.

On the men’s side, the Raiders’ run to begin the season builds on the momentum that the team had towards the end of last season, when they advanced to the Maryland class 4A state finals. Coach Brendan O’Connell lost many of the key pieces from last year’s state tournament qualifier, but has still built another winner at Roosevelt.

“We’ve been playing good defense, and we’ve been playing together,” said O’Connell. “We’ve got a bunch of seniors, so I think that’s what’s helped.”

The team’s closest calls were in contests against Duval High School and Wise High School, two thrilling one point finishes in which the Raiders emerged victorious. Both games featured clutch endgame performances by senior guard Trevor Evans, who sunk a buzzer-beating three point shot to steal the 59-58 win for the Raiders against Duval, in what was one of  the most spectacular moments of the still-young season. Moments that showcase the team’s tremendous will to win, and ability to finish games off in the fourth quarter.

“In the fourth quarter, our coach always tells us that we should stay composed,” said junior center Folu Koiki. “And most of the time he’s like he knows we can win because, you know, we were leading by five or we had a run in the second quarter. I would say that in the fourth quarter, even if we’re down, we have confidence in our abilities to bring it back and win the game.”

That confidence has proved key in spurring the Raiders’ early season run.

For the girls’ basketball team there has been no such flair for the dramatic in their undefeated run, as most of their victories have come in dominating fashion. The team has tallied five wins with margins of  thirty points or more, including three where the margin was more than sixty points.

“I would say senior leadership,” commented Coach Delton Fuller on what has led to this early streak, “Daria Simmons has stepped up, Jazmin Faulkner has stepped up, Tolu Omokore is rebounding really well, and Kaila Charles is playing really well. It’s just that the chemistry is coming together, and its gonna get better, but the chemistry as a team is getting better and better each day.”

Despite different paths to 9-0, both coaches shared the same sentiment as to what needed to be done to continue their respective runs: consistent hard work and improvement.

“We need to keep getting better, it’s only been 9 games, we’ve got more to play plus playoffs,” said O’Connell. “We can’t be satisfied with being 9-0.”

The Raiders will next take the court against Flowers High School on Tuesday night, with the boys playing in front of a home crowd, and the girls on the road.