The Red Raiders’ varsity boys basketball team fought hard against the Dundee-Crown Chargers, but fell short on Jan. 15. The final score was 50 – 53.

The team’s top scorers were juniors Ryan Sroka and Uchenna Egekez, and senior Davis Pasco. Sroka scored a total of 16 points, Egekez with 10, and Pasco with 9.

The first player to score for the Raiders was Egekez. The first half of the first quarter was the Raiders’, but the Chargers quickly took the lead, and never gave it back. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 7 – 14.

During the second quarter, junior Ryan Crosby and Sroka started to get the Raiders going, but the Chargers continued to keep the edge.  The first half ended with a score of 17 – 24.

The Chargers were able to gain a significant lead during the third quarter, outplaying the Raiders both offensively and defensively. The Raiders were only able to score 10 points during the third quarter, where the Chargers scored 15. After the third quarter, the score was 27 – 39.

The Red Raiders had a huge comeback during the fourth quarter, scoring a total of 23 points. The offense was led by Sroka and Pasco, who scored three 3-pointers. The team also had great defensive plays, with multiple steals and blocked shots, which only allowed the Chargers to score 14 points.

In the last minute of the game, the Raiders were only one basket down from a win, but were unable to convert.

William Benson, the coach for the Red Raiders, reflects on what went wrong during the match.

“We didn’t come out very good, offensively or defensively,” Benson said. “I think that we were a little overconfident, which is partially on me. We didn’t do enough of the little things that we needed to do in order to win. We made a great comeback at the end, which is awesome, but you can’t put yourself in that position.”

Even though they were down, the Red Raiders did not give up, which is an aspect that not all teams have.

“I’m proud of our team effort,” Sroka said. “Especially that comeback in the second half, for sure.”

The boys play again on Friday, Jan. 18, at Cary-Grove.