The NC Lady Warriors varsity basketball team (5-5) played against Harrison Hoyas (2-6) Friday, December 9. With a rivalry existing between both teams, the fight to gain a win increased the competitiveness. While NC’s student section roared in excitement, the energy in the Arena continued to rise. 

“I feel like we played really well and it was a close game until the ref made a questionable call which gave possession to Harrison. He also gave our coach a tech. I think we will have a better outcome the next time we play them,” junior center Kaiya Sibley-Clark said. 

Harrison scored the first points of the game, gaining an early lead. The Hoya’s lead did not last long as Sibley-Clark’s (34) rebound and shooting guard Armani Shaw’s (10) three-pointer put the Warriors up. With a tight back-and-forth first quarter, junior point guard Erinne Giles (30) ended the quarter with her free throws with NC up 10-9. 

To start off the second quarter, junior shooting guard Taylor Albritton (33) scored a layup placing NC farther ahead. With intense plays on offense from Harrison, they gained the lead back for the majority of the quarter (15-17). With seconds left to spare until halftime, senior center Chisom Eziomume (44) scored a layup to tie up the game 17-17. 

Returning from halftime, head coach John Speeney and assistant coach Jarae Savage provided the girls with additional motivation which encouraged them for the remainder of the game. Outstanding defense from both teams denied either team any points until the last six minutes. Sibley-Clark broke the game’s no-scoring streak (19-17). Unable to hold onto the gain, the Hoyas tied the match and eventually stole the lead from the Warriors. The third quarter ended with NC under 24-28. 

The fourth quarter began with tension filling the stands. The game resumed with Harrison advancing with their offense to score several three-pointers. NC countered their shots with threes from Albritton and layups from Giles (33-36). However, the game’s win slipped from NC when Harrison shot multiple free throws in the final minutes. The neck-and-neck match ended 33-40 despite the strong willing efforts of the Lady Warriors. 

“I have a lot of faith in our team to win our region. We have had a lot of games to prepare us in the regular season that is going to lead us to that victory. This loss is going to motivate us to play better and work harder. We can use this as a way to reflect on our mistakes and make changes to help us throughout the season,” Albritton said. 

The boys’ varsity team (8-0) versus the Hoyas (4-3) took place after the girls’ game and ended in a win (57-54) for the boys ultimately continuing their perfect winning streak. The girls’ varsity team will play the South Cobb Eagles (1-6) Saturday, December 10. Despite their loss, the team remains confident in the rest of the season with hopes to qualify for state playoffs in the following months.

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