CRUEL ENDING ...AGAIN 2/23/2025
There is a popular Spanish saying, "You don't want broth? Well, here are two cups," which refers to how, often, bad things don't come alone but accompanied. And that is exactly what happened to our girls in the bronze medal game, which came after a cruel ending in the semifinal against SCIE.
Once again, our girls dominated the game entirely, this time until the last 45 seconds— the first and only time Basis was ahead on the scoreboard. The Eagles came out with intensity and determination, playing excellent defense and moving the ball fluidly on the fast break. Alex and Rue both scored twice, and only two baskets from Basis in the final minute kept the score closer at the end of the first quarter (4-9).
In the second quarter, the dominance was even greater, almost overwhelming. Four consecutive points from Larissa, a three-pointer from Rue, two baskets from Teodora after offensive rebounds... the lead grew to 4-17, which no one could have predicted would be followed by what was to come. It was 9-17 at halftime, and it felt like our girls would take the bronze.  Basis came out stronger in the third quarter, but the lead remained between seven and ten points (13-21, 19-27), although a late push from the Tigers closed the period at 21-27.  In the final quarter, after a great basket from Teodora that made it 21-29, the chaos began: Basis, with the referees’ leniency, became more aggressive and pressed the whole court. They were physical on defense, nerves took over our players, and the lead shrank. It wasn't a basketball game anymore: one team didn't want anyone to use fundamentals, the other one couldn't. When they finally managed to break the high press, our girls missed easy shots under the basket. 29-29 in the final minute... and time for the scandal.  A Basis player received the ball, dribbled, jumped, and landed without releasing it. The referees didn’t call the obvious violation, and the play ended with a basket, making it 31-29. After that, a foul was called on Teodora, who went to the free-throw line. After making the second free throw, the referee disallowed the basket, claiming our player was slightly stepping on the line. In the last possession, while Larissa crossed half-court with the ball, looking for the tie, she was hit in the neck by a slap, with the referee only a meter away, and no foul was called. Two men prevented our girls from winning the second bronze medal of the season. A disgrace. CRUEL ENDING 2/18/2025
Our girls showed their best performance of the season against SCIE, but unfortunately, they couldn’t reach the final after a dramatic conclusion in which they had three opportunities to tie the game but couldn’t score. Facing the favorites to win the league, and recalling the volleyball semifinal from last October, where the home team came out strong at the start of every set and our girls had to swim against the tide, the Eagles hit the gas from the very first minute and quickly took the lead on the scoreboard. With Rue and Alex leading the attack, and the rest of the team defending at an exceptionally high level (special mention to Teodora, who also finished with six points from offensive rebounds), the team controlled the first half and maintained small leads, keeping their advantage on the scoreboard. After the break, SCIE improved their offensive efficiency, and both teams alternated in taking the lead, but the game entered the final quarter with the home team ahead. Fatigue began to take its toll on our girls, and SCIE gained a maximum six-point lead with two minutes to go. That’s when our girls tightened up, and two baskets from Rue and Alex brought the game to a nail-biting finish. Our excellent defense gave us three opportunities to tie the game, but bad luck prevented the girls from finding the basket. The game ended with Rue and Alex going towards the opposite rim without opposition, but sadly couldn't reach the paint on time to be able to shoot. No time for regrets, our girls must rise and prepare for tomorrow's bronze medal match, where we will replay the volleyball bronze medal match against Basis. HS GIRLS FINAL FOUR 2/11/2025
GAME UPDATE 2/11/2025
LOSS AT SGA 1/9/2025
Our girls were unable to secure a victory on SGA’s court despite an impressive first half against the championship favorites. A second-half collapse, during which RDF was unable to score any points, undermined the excellent work done up until halftime. Coach Goran opted for the same lineup as the previous day against SIA, with Rue leading the scoring, Teodora providing support and serving as a defensive pillar with her intensity and height, Larissa and Zoe directing play, and Tisa, Sophie, Yolanda, and Kelley contributing intensity and energy whenever they were on the court. Despite SGA taking the lead on the scoreboard, the home team was never able to open up a significant advantage. Rue’s points kept RDF within just a few points, and Teodora’s strong defensive efforts—securing rebounds and blocking SGA’s attempts—meant the game reached halftime with a hopeful 16-11 scoreline. After the break, however, came the collapse: our girls missed numerous scoring opportunities, allowing SGA to pull away. In response, Coach Goran gave more minutes to the bench players, which further widened the gap to a final score of 35-11.
After a few years without women’s basketball at RDF, our girls made their debut this season with a crucial victory on Sendelta’s court. This was the first of two games the team would play on back-to-back days to complete the group stage ipso facto before the Chinese New Year. Without having been able to play any training games during 2024, and with this being the first basketball game ever for all our girls, the start of the match was not easy: a lot of nerves and inaccuracies, but solid defense and the best attitude to stay in the game. The girls managed to recover from the initial 5-1 lead opened by Sendelta and reached halftime tied at 6-6 thanks to points from Rue and Teodora, along with the playmaking of Larissa and Zoe. With only four teams in the group stage, every victory is a giant step toward qualifying for February’s Final Four. The importance of securing that win was evident during the third quarter, where neither team was able to score despite multiple opportunities under the basket and from the free-throw line. It was in the final quarter that, in addition to Rue and Teodora’s four points and Larissa’s leadership, the defense from Sophie and Tisa put us ahead and secured an extremely important victory. Pending the league committee's decision regarding the match against VMA, this win gives us the ticket to next month’s Final Four.
|
- HS SOCCER (2024-2025 SEASON)
- HS GIRLS BASKETBALL (2024-2025 SEASON)
- HS BOYS BASKETBALL (2024-2025 SEASON)
- HS VOLLEYBALL(2024-2025 SEASON) 2
- HS VOLLEYBALL(2024-2025 SEASON) 1
- ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
- SPARTAN RACES （2024）
- HS VOLLEYBALL （2023-2024 SEASON）
- HS BASKETBALL （2023-2024 SEASON）
- HS SOCCER （2023-2024 SEASON）
