On Tuesday night, the MC Raptors’ Women’s Basketball team traveled to Wye Mills to face the Chesapeake College Skipjacks. They won in a dominant and efficient manner with the final score being 87-71.
The Raptors were firing from all cylinders on both sides of the ball in the opening quarter, forcing 8 turnovers and scoring 25 of their eventual 87 total points. Shots were falling, as they hit 11 of their 20 shot attempts for the quarter and 3 of their 5 attempts from beyond the arc; freshman wing Sanai Massenburg drained two of them. Their swarming defense and marksmanship played a pivotal role in them winning the quarter 25-7.
The second quarter was by far their worst, as they were outscored 22-14; as a result, their 18-point lead was cut down to 10 by halftime. Their offense appeared shaken, as they recorded the majority of their turnovers and only attempted nine shots in the entire second period. Freshman guard duo Italia Jackman and Tiana Carey heroically provided the bulk of the team’s scoring in efforts to maintain their lead, scoring five and six points, respectively, for the quarter.
The Raptors turned things back around come the second half; the starting five returned to the floor energized. Aforementioned Tiana Carey attempted four shots and hit three of them for seven third-quarter points while starting guard Litzy Gonzales hit two threes early into the third as well after only scoring four points in the first half. Gonzales is leading the team in points (19.0) and assists (6.3) per game, and she ended Tuesday’s outing with 15 points and a season high 9 assists. Massenburg contributed her third three pointer and second steal in the third quarter; her three threes led the team and she ended the night 3/6 from beyond the arc. This much-needed surge in scoring won the Raptors the quarter 24-18 to give them a 16-point cushion going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was much like the third; the Raptors managed to maintain their lead while resting their starters. Raptors center Kennedy Clifton took and made four shots in the final quarter; she ended the game leading the team in points with 19. Tuesday’s outing raised Clifton’s scoring average from 11.3 points per game to 12.8, paired with her staggering 15.2 rebounds per game. Gonzales and Jackman added five points apiece to conclude their scoring totals to 15 and 14, respectively, while Massenburg contributed four to end the game with 16.
Tuesday’s game was indisputably the Raptors’ best offensive one thus far. Prior to them facing the Skipjacks, the most points they had scored was only 76. Previously the highest percentage they had shot in a game was 45. On Tuesday, they shot upwards of 51, making 29 of their 57 total attempts. They also had season highs in three pointers made alongside three-point percentage, with nine threes made on only nineteen attempts (47.4%). Arguably their most impressive stat, however, is their assist total.
Before Tuesday, the Raptors’ season high in assists was 16. Against the Skipjacks, they dished an impressive 24 assists, meaning all but 5 of their shots were assisted on. Gonzales, Carey, and Jackman all had season highs in assists, and it was evident their ability and willingness to move the ball was almost solely responsible for their accurate shooting.
Notable individual performances (* indicates team leader)
Litzy Lujan-Gonzales (G): 15pts, 3reb, *9asts, 5/10fg, 2/4 3pt
Kennedy Clifton (C): *19pts, 9reb, *7/8fg
Tiana Carey (G): 18pts, 5reb, 5ast, *2stl, 6/10fg, 2/3 3pt
Italia Jackman (G): 14pts, 8reb, 5ast, 1stl, 4/7fg, 1/1 3pt
Sanai Massenburg (F): 16pts, 7reb, *2stl, *1blk, *3/6 3pt
Full Stats: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FUCKW-i6UWtV3SLg33V45bbpQkAwa4T1fLYWBxDBkjg/edit?usp=sharing
The Raptors travel to Hickory, North Carolina to face the Catawba Valley Community College Cardinals this Friday at 6pm in hopes of extending their win streak to three and their overall record to 5-1.
