*** ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ROCKY RIVER SENIOR BRIDGET HUXTABLE ***
On January 13th, 2025, the Rocky River Pirates faced the Magnificat Blue Streaks in girls’ basketball, ending in a Blue Streak victory 74-47. The first quarter began when Magnificat won the tipoff and drove the ball downcourt, securing 2 points from Gemma Wichmann and 3 from Julia Hall.
The Pirates’ Olivia Dewey managed to score a three-pointer, but this was followed by a three-point shot from Magnificat’s Sofia Wilson. Rocky River’s defense was working extremely hard and successfully blocked several shots from the Blue Streaks, however Magnificat was swift with their movements and fell into a flow at the end of the first quarter, scoring 15 points that can all be attributed to three-pointers. The quarter ended with a score of 24-13, Blue Streaks.
The Pirates’ defense really heated up in the second quarter as they attempted to close the gap in points. Due to their defense at the beginning of the quarter, the Pirates managed to rack up some points as Libby Lang, Angelina Swallow, Nora Bruder, and Olivia Dewey all scored consecutively. The second quarter was a relatively low scoring period compared to the first, as the ball was going back and forth across the court with little shots being made. Once Magnificat got the ball back, however, Julia Hall scored a three-point basket, closing the half at a score of 31-24, Blue Streaks.
The second half got off with a great start for Magnificat as Reese Roggenburk made two baskets, and a free throw. At first, the Blue Streak’s defense was preventing the Pirates from making any shots, and there were few baskets. Nearing the end of the quarter, though, Rocky River found a sweet spot as Nora Bruder created a chain reaction of Pirate baskets from herself, Libby Lang, and Olivia Dewey, gaining 12 points. These were then followed by two baskets for the Blue Streaks from Sofia Wilson, Julia Hall, and Gemma Wichmann. The third ended 54-38, Magnificat.
The fourth began with aggressive offense from Rocky River, trying to seize any opportunities they saw for baskets. Magnificat defense prevailed, however, and Julia Hall scored 2 points for the Blue Streaks, after which Libby Lang made a basket for the Pirates. Rocky River’s possession of the ball didn’t last long as Gemma Wichmann and Sofia Wilson both scored two baskets, and Sophia LaPorte, Charlotte Pap, Reagan Kane, and Reese Raggenburk all scored one. In between these shots were a few Pirate baskets from Libby Lang, but it unfortunately was not enough to close the gap between the two teams. The game ended with a final score of 74-47, securing the Blue Streak victory.
After the game I had the opportunity to talk to Rocky River Head Coach Jamey Pfhal about how he thought the match went. He told me that the Lady Pirates “played fearlessly [and with] relentless effort and energy”, explaining that he believed they “raised the bar and set the standard for relentless energy” in the game.
The top scorers for Rocky River were Libby Lang, Olivia Dewey, and Nora Bruder. The top scorers for Magnificat were Gemma Wichmann, Sofia Wilson, Julia Hall, and Reese Roggenburk.