After an especially close fourth quarter, the Freshman Orange boys’ basketball team fell to the Vandegrift Vipers with a score of 50-51. Though the team was able to come back from a 15-point deficit, they were ultimately unable to capture the victory.

In the first quarter, the Vipers found their way to the scoreboard first; however Ciondre Sterling ‘20 countered with an offensive charge and finished with a layup. A strategic pass from Marcos Martinez ‘20 to Santi Campos ‘20 added another two points, making the score 4-5. Martinez also sank a three-pointer, and Christian Robinson ‘20 had a steal before the quarter ended 13-14.

Though the second quarter featured some miscommunication from the team resulting in the loss of the ball, Campos and Robinson came up defensively with strong blocks. Fenix Wiles-Credeur ‘20 sank both of his free throws after a foul, and the score was brought up to 15-14. There were scoreless runs from both the Warriors and the Vipers following this. Martinez broke this trend after rebounding Robinson’s attempt with a layup. Martinez also had a strong run and Campos hustled to add another two points, making the score 23-22. Though the Warriors tried to stall out toward the end of the quarter, the Vipers finished with a three-point buzzer beater.

“I did a lot better in defense that I normally do,” Robinson said. “The entire first half we just played terribly, if we would’ve kept the first half we would have for sure won that game but it happens.”

The third quarter began with missed passes and blocked shots, and when the score reached 23-33, the Warriors called a timeout. Sterling added points after rebounding his first attempt and scoring. Gaps in the Warriors’ defense combined with the Viper’s strong charges led to a score of 27-41, when the Warriors called another timeout. The quarter finished 29-42.

“We’re gonna practice more,” Robinson said. “We’re gonna practice our plays because throughout the first half and third quarter our people kept messing up the plays, but it’s no one’s fault, we’ll just do better next time.”

The Warriors were determined to come back stronger in the last quarter, and as their defensive pressure increased, Campos led the offense to add seven straight points to the board. With the score at 38-44, the Vipers called a timeout. A layup by Marcos caused a timeout at 44-49, and another was called after the Vipers added a point. With a block and basket by Campos and another two points from Martinez, the score was tied at 49-49. A foul by the Warriors gave Vandegrift a two-point lead. Two timeouts were called within the last 15 seconds to devise a strategy. The Warriors fouled again to gain possession, however were unable to beat the clock. The game concluded with a score of 50-51.

“I thought we played well, we just didn’t play well enough in the first half,” Freshman Orange coach Jason Hergenreder said. “We just need to work harder, we got out hustled. Specifically, we just need to work better as a team, and talk to each other more. They’re very good athletes, right now they’re just playing off their sheer athleticism instead of playing as a team.”

The freshman orange team will next play on Tuesday, Dec. 20 against Leander High School at home.