Atholton Girls Basketball Stumbles in State Finals

The Lady Raiders were down nine when the horn blared, signifying the end of the third quarter. The Raiders combined big buckets and fastbreak points caused by steals to creep their way back into the game, but at the end of the day, the Frederick sophomore, Makayla Daniels could not be stopped. She scored a staggering 47 points in an amazing effort to lead the Cadets to the state championship. The Lady Raiders did everything they could to hold her and try to gain momentum to push them forward. Once again lead by the trio of seniors, Fran Vanegas, Ryan Jones, and Sophia Harrison, the Lady Raiders fought hard, but ultimately could not get over the hump. Jones had a team high 25 points and Vanegas also had 20 points. But after Harrison fouled out early in the third quarter, it became hard to believe that the Raiders could rally back. Foul trouble continued to plague the Lady Raiders as Ryan Jones fouled out in the fourth quarter. At that point, the comeback efforts were dismantled by the rebounding and clutch scoring of the Cadets. Vanegas was subbed out of the game at the one minute mark and all the seniors were treated to a standing ovation from Raider Nation.