The Glenelg Gladiators Fall to the Marriotts Ridge Mustangs

By Sarah Kang

On December 7th at 5:15 in the evening, Glenelg’s Junior Varsity Boys Basketball, after a neck to neck battle with the Marriotts Ridge Mustangs, fell a few points short, resulting in a loss.

​The Glenelg Junior Varsity Basketball team lost 52-63 against the Marriotts Ridge Mustangs. The Gladiators fought a hard battle against the Mustangs, but lost possession of the ball towards the end of the game. After the Mustangs made the last basket of the game, the Gladiators walked off the court with heads hanging low.

The first two quarters were very intense. The Gladiators started the game with great intensity and were winning 7-0. Throughout the first half, the Gladiators held possession of the ball the majority of the time, but the Mustangs soon came back and dominated the final quarters of the game. The Mustangs began to pass around hordes of athletes and shot baskets one after another, continuously.

The Gladiators were behind by many points, specifically, they were losing 27-39 when the third quarter began. Head coach Alex Blasek stated, “We really need to focus and get that ball again. We can beat this team easily, but we just need to concentrate and keep possession.” After a timeout, the Gladiators began to come back, slowly. Sophomore Max Pearcy dribbled passed swarms of players and shot a three pointer. Soon, the Gladiators were only behind by eight points.

The bleachers were packed with fans and the crowd was roaring. The Gladiators, tired and exhausted, attempted to find ways to get around the impenetrable defense. With 30 seconds left in the game, the Gladiators quickly worked their way up the court trying to shoot as many baskets as they could. Max Pearcy, Robbie Tolbert, and Colin Buch were the top scorers of the game, helping the Gladiators try to catch up to the Mustangs. Robbie Tolbert drove the baseline and made a hard, strong pass back to Max Pearcy, who scored another three pointer. The Gladiators, hurriedly, tried to score more baskets as time was running out.
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As the game concluded, the Mustangs, with a win, cheerfully ran off the court. On the other hand, the Gladiators met together to have a team talk to discuss about what they could improve on. Sophomore Max Pearcy stated, “It was a tough game that we could have definitely won. Our defense just wasn’t there and I think practicing more and working on getting back on defense can really make this team stronger.” The next Junior Varsity game is against St. Mary’s, so stay tuned to for more news on how the team does in their upcoming game!