5.4 seconds on the scoreboard. Sam Sponheimer takes the inbound and finds his brother at the top of the key. Jack Sponheimer shoots.
No good.
Jaden Carpien is able to grab the rebound and puts up a last second floater. The ball dances on the rim, looking as if it does not want to go in. Every single attendee sits in silence, holding their breath for these last couple of seconds.
No good.
While the Raiders boys basketball team put up a strong fight, the game did not go their way. The SPF boys basketball team lost 45-44 against the Rahway Indians on Tuesday. Dec. 20, in the second game of the Boys/Girls home opener doubleheader.
Foul trouble was the Raider’s calling card, with senior Sam Sponheimer getting two fouls early on. Filling his spot was junior Jacob Handy, who amassed the same amount of fouls in only a couple of minutes. Sponheimer was not the only one who got himself in trouble, as the likes of senior Jack Wall and junior Jack Sponheimer had to be taken out due to fouls.
This led to the offense being out of sync, and not with their leading players. Luckily, others took it upon themselves to give SPF a fighting chance. Senior Anderson Pollack was a weapon from downtown, draining threes when needed. Senior Jaden Carpien, who was playing in his first game of the season due to injury, was able to come off the bench and make an impact on the game.
Nonetheless, when it came down to the crucial moments, the Raiders could not hit a shot, allowing the opposing Indians to swoop in for the win. Time and time again, Coach Steven Siracusa and Kyle Anderson yelled, “we are not playing team basketball.”
This was evident, as pointless shots would be thrown up with hope that somehow they would bounce in. Rahway was a smart and physical team that knew how to blow up a singular mistake. Many times, after a short time of possession, an Indian shooter, most likely Dmitri Dulorie, was open for the three.
Even though this Raider team is abundant with upperclassmen, most have not had late game experience that will be crucial to have down the stretch. Luckily, this was only the third game of the season, giving the Raiders much more time to figure out their identity.
Fortunately, the other side of the doubleheader had better luck. The girls basketball team kicked off the doubleheader at 6:00 p.m., when they beat rival Westfield Blue Devils 50-35. The Raiders were coming off a win in their season opener against Elizabeth, when Baylock added 32 points of her own to the score sheet.
Once again, Baylock filled up the stat sheet, scoring 18 points and leading the comeback in the second half. While the Raiders came out on top, it did not come without adversity. They dug themselves into an early hole, not grabbing rebounds, missing free throws and getting beat on defense.
“We missed a lot of shots in the first quarter and we felt like if we were able to get some steals and get some easy points on the board, the other shots would fall,” Coach Ryan McKenna told the Fanscotian.
At the end of the first half, the Raiders started to look more like themselves and took this into the second half.
“Our defense [started to click]. Defense led to offense and our defense picked up the energy and got some steals. It all started to come together [in the second half],” Baylock said.
With a stronger defense, the offense started to come together, and the Raiders showed the fans in attendance what type of team they were. Everyone started to hit their shots, and rebounds fell their way. Both Baylock and junior Marin Pecarsky started to look more like themselves, and spearheaded the 21-point third quarter.
Grit was shown throughout the whole game, especially in the intense moments. Senior Sara Lehman time and time again was a force to be reckoned with in the paint, blocking shots and boxing out to find rebounds. Senior Sophia Catalano was another player who stepped up in time of need and helped the team pull out the victory.
“Obviously Amanda [Baylock] is Amanda [Baylock] and she’s gonna do what she will do,” McKenna said. “But for the other girls also to come and step up. For Sophia Catalano, who’s probably the smallest person on the floor, to grab the most rebounds, helped us out.”
Playing Westfield is a time to circle your calendar in every sport, but especially girls basketball. The Raiders have not beaten the Blue Devils in years, for some not since they were a student at SPFHS.
“All four years [of my career] we haven’t beaten them. It’s Westfield, the anticipation is high since we are rivals and we just wanted to beat them so bad,” Baylock said.
The road will not get easier from here, as the girls basketball will now face a strong Cranford team Thursday, Dec. 21, afternoon. On the other hand, the boys basketball team drops to 1-2 and will travel to Roselle Thursday, Dec. 21, night.
