SHOWDOWN IN THE COLOSSEUM: GLENELG BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL FALLS TO RIVER HILL

By JT Shatzer

On January 4th, the Glenelg boys basketball team found themselves in one of their most competitive matches in the season against their arch rivals, The River Hill Hawks.  The two teams even needed an overtime period to determine the outcome of what could be Howard County’s game of the season.

After a four quarters and a period of overtime, the game finally ended with a 59-52 loss for the Gladiators. The battle between these two teams could have been described as a roller coaster ride, being that both teams went on exciting runs which caused the game to up for grabs for either team the entire time. The intensity level of games played against River Hill always seems to be a little higher than any other game for the Gladiators, and it was very clear that each opposing team wanted to win badly.

The first two quarters of the game were all in favor of the Hawks. All their shots were going in, and their defense was completely shutting down any and every attack the Gladiators attempted. By half time, the Hawks built up a ten point lead, and were carrying some momentum as they went into the locker room.

When the third quarter started, the Gladiators looked like a completely different team than they were at the start of the game. Made shot after made shot, defensive stop after defensive stop, Glenelg could do no wrong. Even after a timeout by the River Hill head coach, Glenelg still was on fire. A deep three point shot by Senior Johnny Piwowarski right after the timeout set the gym on fire. Everyone watching was going crazy, and the Gladiators seemed to have new life now that all their fans were behind them.

Going into the fourth, the score read 40-39 with River Hill leading, however, the momentum was very much with the Gladiators after outscoring their opponents by 17 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was neck and neck, until River Hill pulled ahead with a three point lead with less than 20 seconds to go in game. Timeout Gladiators. Coach McMillan was furiously drawing up a play in the huddle for the Gladiators to run in order to force the game into overtime.

With the clock ticking down, Senior Carson Dick had the ball in his hands. He took one quick dribble, and pulled up for a three pointer nearly 6 feet behind the line. Swish. The crowd went nuts, and game was heading into overtime. When asked about the shot his team mate had made, Junior Nate Curtis said, “That was one of the most clutch shots I have seen in awhile. Definitely one that no one will forget for anytime soon.”  The game was headed into overtime, and both teams were hungry for victory.

As the overtime period started, River Hill seemed to come out with much more energy than Glenelg. The Hawks went on an 8-0 scoring run, which completely destroyed any momentum the Gladiators had coming into the period. The game eventually came to a close with River Hill coming out on top in a hard fought battle by both teams. When asked how he felt about his team’s performance after the game, Junior Jack Walsh explained, “I felt like we deserved to win that game. The entire team fought really hard the whole game, but sometimes luck just isn’t on your side.” Walsh also added that the whole team will be back in the gym the next day working for the opportunity to play and next time beat there rivals, the River Hill Hawks. Make sure to tune in for more updates on your Gladiators throughout the season!