Varsity Boys Basketball Splits on Road

The Varsity Boys Basketball team hit the road for two games prior to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Although they did not win both games, the Raiders won the more important region contest at Banneker.

On Friday, January 12, 2018 the Raiders traveled to Region 6-AAAAA opponent Banneker. When the Bulldogs came to Sandy Springs in November, the Raiders won 63-56. Fortunately, the Raiders won the second of the home/away series, too, 65-55. The rematch was a close contest until the third quarter. The Raiders broke out for a 25-point period and built a 20 point lead going into the final quarter. Senior Rudy Fitzgibbons led the attack with 26 points and was 9-12 from the floor. Fellow senior, Julian Walker, added another 13 and played his usual outstanding defense, while Senior Nasir Muhammad chipped in 9 points and 8 rebounds.

On Saturday, January 13, 2018 the Raiders went four miles down the road to play Mt. Vernon in a non-region contest. The game was a make-up from an earlier snowed-out date. After having won multiple previous contests vs. the Mustangs, this was not to be a repeat. The Raiders fell behind early and, in spite of several fevered runs, they could not overtake the host team and lost, 72-59. Poor shooting put the Raiders in a hole which they could not overcome. The host team shot a record number of free throws and scored more from the line than from the field. Senior Christian Sutton led the Raiders in scoring with 13 points to accompany his 11 rebounds. Senior Nasir Muhammed and Sophomore Nathan Henderson each added 10 points. Unfortunately, the loss ended the Raiders' six game win streak – the longest of the season.