By Savannah Brooks

The Wildcats were hoping to start a winning streak on Friday, December 14th, but they weren’t able to expand on their first win of the season against Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School the previous day. The final score was 60-40, Severna Park, after the Wildcats were outscored every quarter.

The game started with the tallest player on the court, sophomore Tyson Brooks Jr. getting a touch on the jump ball for Arundel. However, Brooks hit the ball hard behind him which resulted in it going out of bounds and becoming Severna Park’s ball despite two good attempts by the Wildcats to save it. Severna Park, however, was unable to score on their first possession. They scored the first two points of the game on their second possession, as senior Jordan Hallet was fouled on a made layup but was unable to make his free throw.

Although the quarter ended with Severna Park outscoring Arundel 13-5, the Wildcats had a few good moments. Senior Bobby Brown had a nice three to beat the shot-clock buzzer almost halfway through the quarter and senior Deon Hebron had an emphatic block with about three minutes left.

Both teams scored much more efficiently in the second quarter, but Arundel was still outmatched. Severna Park rained down threes, causing Arundel to start guarding the shot and opening up the lane.

The home varsity team, made up of only seniors and juniors, took advantage of the young Wildcat squad, scoring 20 points in the second quarter. Senior Ian Hogan hit a buzzer beater three at the end of the quarter for Arundel, but the Wildcats’ heads were down on their way to the locker room for halftime.

Going into the third quarter, the score was 33-18, with Severna Park in the lead and the visitors looking to make a comeback. Although Arundel was able to limit the Falcons to only 12 points, the fewest they scored in a quarter all night, offensive production was still a problem. The third quarter was the Wildcats’ highest scoring quarter at 13 points,  with the Falcons’ out matching them with 20 points in the quarter. One of the biggest moments of the quarter for Arundel was a huge block by Brooks with about four minutes left, accompanied by a emphatic cheer. Sophomore Nigel Omotosho got in trouble with four total fouls with 2:52 left and had to be taken out for the remainder of the game.

The Wildcats had a great final possession. They forced a jump ball with 14 seconds left, giving themselves the last chance to score. They came through, with Brown hitting a buzzer-beater three, sending the teams into the final quarter with a score of 55-28, Severna Park.

With the Wildcats down and needing long range production, Coach Ramsey put in some of his bench players like senior Nick Steckel. Steckel hit two three point attempts soon after he went into the game, just missing on his third attempt.

Things got heated with about a minute left. Brooks and Jennings got into a verbal altercation, but the referee split things up before it escalated. Brooks ended up fouling out with 34 seconds left, and Hebron got T’d up after throwing the basketball behind him and hitting a cheerleader. The Wildcats showed how young their team is after letting their emotions get the best of them.

The 2-1 Wildcats will face the 0-5 St. Mary’s Saints on Tuesday, December 18th at home.

High Scorers:

Bobby Brown 3-6 8 pts/0 rbs/1 ast.

Deon Hebron 3-12 8 pts/8 rbs/1 ast.

Nick Steckel 3-4 8 pts/1 rb/0 ast.