RUMPUS 2019: Another RUMPUS Win for The Tigers
Freshman Patrick Shelley goes up for the shot.
The varsity boys basketball team faced the Gordon Lee Trojans on Friday, Jan. 18 in their ninth region game of the year.
The Tigers won the tip and quick layups for both teams kept the score tied at 2-2. A layup for senior Andrew Land put the lead back in Darlington’s hands, but the Trojans tied it up with another layup.
Senior Barrick Wade answered with an immediate three-pointer, but several offensive drives for Gordon Lee ended the first quarter with the Trojans leading 9-12.
Gordon Lee began the second quarter with a layup, but a putback by freshman Wit Szymanski cut the Trojans’ lead to 11-14.
“I thought that the atmosphere during the whole game was great. From running out on to the floor to the final whistle, the team was really feeding off the energy that the crowd was giving us,” said sophomore Luke Lewis.
A free throw by freshman Patrick Shelley cut the deficit to two points, and a steal by Lewis led to another three-pointer by Wade to put the Tigers in the lead at 15-14.
A three-pointer and layup by Gordon Lee end the first half with the Tigers trailing 17-22.
Two more free throws by Shelley and a putback by junior Tate Ratledge cut the Trojans’ lead to one. A forced turnover by Shelley led to another three-pointer by Wade, putting the Tigers ahead 24-22.
“The RUMPUS basketball game is one of the most anticipated events of the year because the whole school gets together to watch us play,” junior William McClain said.
A block by Ratledge out of bounds and a rebound by Land kept the momentum in Darlington’s favor, and a steal by Barrick for a fast break layup stretched the Tigers’ lead to 26-22.
“We came out with a lot of energy from the crowd. We were down by 5 at half time but battled back for a win,” Ratledge said.
A double technical on Gordon Lee resulted in three more free throws for Land, with the Tigers leading 29-22. Quick answers by the Trojans ended the offensive streak for Darlington, cutting the Tigers’ lead to two points with less than two minutes left in the third quarter.
A steal and an and-one basket for Shelley put Darlington up 33-27 to end the third quarter.
Another layup and three free throws for Shelley increased the Tigers’ lead to 38-27 with less than six minutes remaining. A three-pointer by Land put Darlington up by 14 points.
Free throws by Shelley and Szymanski were followed by another three-pointer by Szymanski, with the Tigers leading 47-28.
The Trojans answered with a three-pointer of their own, but putbacks by McClain and freshman Ja’lyn Searcy brought Darlington’s lead to 51-31 to end the game.
“I think that we all played together as a team tonight in the RUMPUS game. I thought that the crowd gave great energy, which allowed all of us to get amped up. We also came into this game looking for revenge from the loss we had against them earlier in the season, but overall, we played solid defense and were patient on the offensive side of the floor,” Land said.
The Tigers’ regional record advanced to 6-3, and the Tigers will face Excel Christian on Saturday, Jan. 19.
