by Tiffany Thornton
Photos by Carrington Gibson and Nykia Powell
The road to becoming a champion, according to Roosevelt
forward D'Angelo Johnson, takes a lot of "rebounding, playing hard and
teamwork," and it seems to be filled with many obstacles. The Roosevelt
Rough Riders took another step towards that elusive goal as they
defeated the Ballou Knights by the score of 65-56 Thursday, February
21st at the basketball arena at Coolidge High School.
Playoff basketball creates a different atmosphere of hope and
anticipation and the team that can handle that pressure is usually the
team that can win a championship. The crowds are larger and more vocal,
the cost of the game and even a hot dog is increased, and every player
knows that the team that loses goes home unfulfilled. Both teams seemed
a bit nervous during the first quarter, which was characterized by
missed shots, turnovers and sloppy play.
It appeared that Ballou's strategy was to clog the lane so that Roosevelt's
guards could not get the ball inside to forwards Darin Drakeford (13
pts., 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocked shots) and D'Angelo Johnson
(24 pts., 5 rebounds) and give the Riders open shots beyond the three
point line. This strategy worked in the first half as the Rider outside
shots clanked off the rim time and time again to the dismay of the
Rider fans. The Rider offense became lethargic and the effort level
seemed to dwindle after each missed shot. The team was low on effort
and the crowd was low on energy. As confidence dwindled, the sparks
that usually ignite the team's energy level slowly died along with the
crowd's enthusiasm. Ballou took a 28-23 lead into half time.
Feeling their championship aspirations slipping away, the Riders came
out in the 3rd quarter rejuvenated and used a staunch defensive effort
to climb back in the game. Coach Nickens utilized a box and one
defense, assigning guard Jibri Banner (13 pts., 4 steals) to follow
Ballou's leading scorer Donte Thomas and shut him down. "Banner did a
hell of a job on Thomas," Coach Nickens said. "We knew we had to shut
him down if we were to have a chance at defeating them!"
With Ballou's offense out of sync, a play by Drakeford rejuvenated the
crowd and woke the Rider's offense up from its slumber. Drakeford stole
an errant pass, dribbled the ball the length of the court and delivered
a monstrous dunk that ignited the crowd and the Riders. In that
instant, the crowd went wild and the energy it created, which according
to Drakeford "was the key to our success." On the next trip down the
floor, senior guard Marquis Tyler (11 pts., 4 assists, 2 steals), a
transfer from Dunbar, hit a signature three-pointer which forced Ballou
out of that packed in zone defense.
After Tyler
hit another three-pointer, Ballou's defense had to come out further to
defend the perimeter. When that happen Coach Nickens had his team pound
the ball inside to Drakeford and Johnson and the ball game was all but
over. Drakeford and Johnson's unstoppable lay-ups and dunks seemed to
take all of the steam out of the Ballou Knights and the realization
that the Riders were going to make it to the championship game loomed
even larger.
"Oh my goodness," screamed an elated Rider fan. "We're going to the
championship!" As the precious seconds of the clocked ticked off, the
realization that the dream has come true began to sink in. Rider fans
were ecstatic, while the Rider basketball players were happy but
reserved, for they knew this was only another step to their ultimate
goal. "It feels good, but not as good as I thought," Darin Drakeford
reflected. "I guess we have to wait until we WIN the championship."
Regardless if they win the championship or not, the team has become champions among the Rider faithful!
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