The Raiders brought their A-game Jan. 26 at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School to defeat their biggest rivals, the Westfield Blue Devils with a final score of 56-47. The sold-out game brought the dedication and hard work that the Raiders have been putting in all season.
This was the last time that the seniors would be playing basketball against their biggest rival, so they made it memorable and successful.
The team would not have been able to do it without Raider Nation, who crowded together to support their team during their big game.  
“(I was able to set the tone in the first quarter) because of the crowd, because of Raider Nation,” said senior Nigel Nelson, “They really came out and I wanted to put on a show.”
The game was very close in the first and second quarter, but the Raiders pulled it together after halftime to take the victory. They struggled in their previous game on Tuesday against Roselle, but that did not show at all in this game.
“I criticized our team for defense on Tuesday night and they really bounced back and responded tonight. That’s a sign of a good team,” said Coach Steve Siracusa, “We had a hiccup the other day but we proved we still a pretty good defensive team and they just took it personal on the defensive end. It made a huge difference for tonight.”
Just in the first half Nelson scored the first six points for the Raiders and hit 12 of his 16 shots. The second half was just as aggressive when he showed the Westfield defenders his skills.
Overall, the Raiders stayed strong the whole game, which led to their success to keep the rivalry alive.
“But we’re nowhere near content, we have to get getting better, keep focusing and keep our eye on the prize,” said Siracusa.