The Lady Warriors faced and fell short to the Cedar Ridge Raiders Friday, Jan. 19 in a close game with a final score of 48-49. The ladies kept up a slim lead throughout the game but ultimately lost in the games final seconds.

In the first quarter, the Lady Raiders started off quickly with two free throw shots but the the Lady Warriors came back fast and strong with their first two shots of the game being three pointers made by Riley Hammock ’20 and Rylee Crider ’21. Hammock played a strong roll in the start with three total three point shots and Jaslyn Williams ’20 making one as well. The Raiders never fell too far behind, but the Lady Warriors played a good offense and while they never got to the free throw line, they were racking up points faster than the Lady Raiders could keep up with. At the end of the first quarter the Lady Warriors held the lead 16-12.

The second quarter started much like the first with the Raiders getting to the free throw line within the first minute. The Lady Warriors fired back with some good rebound attempts from Williams, but after fouls were called the Raiders managed to tie with the Warriors. Even with good ball recoveries the Warriors couldn’t manage to score allowing the Raiders to catch up and soon take the lead halfway through the quarter 16-20. Just as it began to look bad for the Lady Warriors, Emma Zion ’21 was the first to score for her team in the second quarter and followed up with another two points tying the two teams. The Lady Warriors finally gain momentum and push ahead of the Raiders. Zion scored a majority of the points keeping her team ahead and in the last 20 seconds, Hammock makes a shot ending the quarter with the Lady Warriors back in the lead 28-22.

Both teams returned after halftime with determination but again the Raiders were the first to score. There were great attempts by the Lady Warriors, but the Raiders managed to quickly tie up the score 28-28. Fouls called on the Raiders put Williams at the free throw line multiple times but it wasn’t enough to put them ahead. With four minutes left, the score was 29-30 with no points earned by the Lady Warriors except from free throws. Crider managed to get the lead back with a three pointer but the Raiders make one free throw to tie things up again. The Lady Warriors finally got a lead on the Raiders with a three pointer made by Williams and directly after another three pointer by Crider. The score heading into the fourth and final quarter was 41-33.

“I think something that is always there with those girls is the passion for the game,” Meghan Bookness ‘20 said. “You can see that in our aggression with rebounding and steals.”

With a substantial lead, the Lady Warriors came into the fourth quarter feeling confident but the Raiders managed to get points quickly. The Lady Warriors didn’t back down with strong leadership from Taylor Cason ’20 keeping them ahead. A seven point lead was kept by the Lady Warriors with three minutes left in the game. Towards the end both teams kept the score within a few points of the other but the fate of the game came down to a single shot made in the last 11 seconds by the Raiders putting them ahead by one point leaving the final score as 48-49.

“By the end of the fourth we panicked and made silly mistakes,” Bookness said. “We need to just collect ourselves and play our game, but overall I love those ladies and as always even though we lost we lost as a team.”

Catch the Lady Warriors at their next game against Hendrickson at the Warrior Bowl next Friday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m..