On January 11th, 2025, the Rocky River Pirates faced the Normandy Invaders on the Pirates’ senior night, resulting in a Pirate victory 36-33. The first quarter began with extremely aggressive defense from both teams, which contributed to the first half of the quarter staying at a score of 0-0. The game heated up, however, once Bridget Carlin scored a three pointer for Rocky River, followed by Lindsay Meriwether scoring for Normandy.  

The Invaders were attacking the net trying to up their score, but the Pirates stayed consistent in their defense, leading to a free throw point from Pirate Olivia Dewey. Once Normandy regained possession of the ball, they went on a rampage with a basket from Giana Carcioppolo and two baskets from Ziley Minich, ending the quarter with a score of 8-4, Normandy. 

Rocky River really amped up their offense in the second quarter, as it started with 2 points from Olivia Dewey, 5 from Nora Bruder, and 2 from Libby Lang. Once the Pirates were back in the lead, Normandy gained possession of the ball and gained 4 points, both baskets coming from Lindsey Meriwether. The Pirates didn’t let this go on long, however, as Bridget Carlin scored a three pointer and Libby Lang landed a basket. There was some impeccable ball movement from Rocky River, leading to another basket from Libby Lang to close the half at a score of 22-12, Rocky River. 

The second half began with a basket from Rocky River’s Libby Lang, but it was clear that the Normandy Invaders had a boost of energy as their offense got more aggressive in an attempt to regain their lead. This payed off, as Ziley Minich scored 5 points and Lindsey Meriwether scored 2. Normandy maintained possession of the ball for much of the third quarter, not giving the Pirates much of an opportunity to shoot, other than one more basket from Libby Lang and a free throw from Nora Bruder. The third ended with a score of 27-23, Pirates. 

Almost immediately, the Pirates scored 4 points and the Invaders scored 6 in the fourth quarter as their offenses attacked each basket. These points led the score to be 32-30, with the pirates maintaining the lead. After the Pirates’ Olivia Dewey scored a three pointer and Lindsey Meriwether and Giana Carcioppolo scored a combined three points for the Invaders, there was 30 seconds left in the game.  

The Pirates were still winning 35-33, but there was opportunity for the Invaders to pull through. The Pirate defense stayed strong, however, not allowing any baskets from Normandy. With seven seconds left, Pirate Olivia Dewey scored a free throw and secured a Pirate victory on their senior night. 

The final score was 36-33, Pirates. 

After the game, I asked Rocky River head coach Jamie Pfahl what he thought about the Pirates’ defense throughout the game. He told me that the lady Pirates “were relentless again. Not only the seniors, but the whole team”, but acknowledged that “our team couldn’t find our offensive game, and it was our defense that pulled us through”. 

The top five Pirate scorers were Bridget Carlin, Olivia Dewey, Libby Lang, and Nora Bruder. The top scorers for the Invaders were Lindsey Meriwether, Giana Carcioppolo, Ziley Minich, and Faith Mathis.