The Varsity Boys Basketball team wrapped up 2017 at the Westminster Holiday Classic. Held over three days -- December 28-30 -- the invitational tournament featured eight teams from Metro Atlanta and beyond. Congratulations to the Raiders for winning two of three games to end the year on a positive note.
The Varsity holds an 8-6 record entering the new year and returns to action Friday afternoon, January 5 at North Atlanta. Tip off is 4pm. The next home game is a region game vs. Grady Saturday afternoon, January 6. Tip off is 5:30pm.
Boys Varsity 2017-18 Schedule
Westminster Holiday Classic Notes
Game One, Thursday, December 28, 2017 vs. Durham Academy
The Raiders opened play facing the visitors from North Carolina and got off to an extremely slow start. After trailing 12-5 at the end of the 1st quarter, it did not get much better in the second. A solid zone defense by the Cavaliers, combined with the Raiders' sloppy play, dug an even deeper hole. The Raiders entered the locker room at halftime facing a 30-11 deficit. In the second half, the Raiders battled back to within 10 points and only trailed 39-29 entering the final quarter. A continued surge closed the gap to 8 points with only one minute remaining in the game. Forced to foul in an effort to get the ball back backfired as the Cavaliers put the game away from the foul line and claimed a 56-43 victory. For the Raiders, Senior Christian Sutton led with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Sophomore Nathan Henderson added 9 points, and Junior Jaylen Edwards pitched in 8.
Game Two, Friday, December 29, 2017 vs. Dunwoody
The second game in the tournament found the Raiders facing the Dunwoody Wildcats. Coming off the Thursday loss and wanting to get back in the win column, the Raiders came out firing on all cylinders. After grabbing a 20-3 first quarter lead, a sloppy second quarter tightened the score to only 28-20 at halftime. The Wildcats continued to eat away at the deficit and came within four points at the end of the third, trailing 38-34. With only five minutes remaining, the Raiders found themselves tied 40-40. The last five minutes were a flurry of hot shooting and a buckled-down defense and the Raiders emerged with a 57-45 victory.
Junior Davis Herndon led all scorers with 16 points, Senior Rudy Fitzgibbons added another 14 points and had a great day at the free throw line (7-8). Senior Christian Sutton pulled down 6 rebounds in the win.
Game Three, Saturday, December 30, 2017 vs. West Forsyth
In a thrilling 80-71 overtime victory over West Forsyth, the Varsity Boys Basketball team won the "B" side of the Westminster Holiday Classic on Saturday, December 30. Although the Raiders came out slowly and fell behind 22-7 in the first quarter, they picked up momentum and outscored the Wolverines 28-14 in the second period. Trailing by one (36-35) at halftime, the Raiders came out with determination for the final half. After multiple lead changes and high scoring in the third frame, the Wolverines clung to a 53-51 advantage. The Wolverines managed to build up a five point buffer; however, the Raiders had a quick burst to grab a 66-63 lead with only one minute on the clock. West Forsyth sank a huge 3-point bucket to tie the game. With 13 seconds to go, the Wolverines had possession under their bucket; however, stout defense prevented them from scoring. At the end of regulation, the score was 66-66. The overtime period was all Raiders: a 14-5 burst put the Raiders on top 80-71 to claim the bracket.
Five different players scored in double digits: Junior Davis Herndon lead the way with 15 points and 6 rebounds, Sophomore Cody Kaplan added 14 points on 5-8 shooting, Senior Christian Sutton and Sophomore Nathan Henderson each contributed 12 points with Henderson grabbing 9 rebounds and Sutton another 6, and Senior Rudy Fitzgibbons added 11 points. Fitzgibbons continued his calm mastery of the charity stripe; he was 6-6 from the free throw line, with many coming at critical moments.
