Strong Second Half Effort Helps Alexander Hamilton to Beat Horace Greeley 69-62
It was all about the second half on Friday night. The Alexander Hamilton Red Raiders Girls Basketball team made a strong statement in a home game versus Horace Greeley. This team though it is a member of Class C isn’t afraid to take on a bigger school such as Horace Greeley.
The first half belonged to Horace Greeley as they hit the locker rooms at halftime with a 39-32 advantage. This winter the Red Raiders have lost just one game to Ossining, which is currently the #1 ranked Class AA team in Section 1.
In the opening minutes of the third quarter the Red Raiders made sure they would not be picking up their second loss of the season on Friday night versus Horace Greeley. The Red Raiders scoring run began when their top scorer this season senior Maia Hood sank two free throws. Less than a minute later she made a layup to make it just a three point game.
Hood made it back to their free throw line for another pair of shots on her team’s next possession. She was able to once again to sink both shots from the line and after a turnover by Greeley the Red Raiders were in prime position to take control of this game.
Senior Jasmine Robinson received a pass from a teammate and then let a 3-point shot leaver her finger tips and this shot would find the bottom of the nylon to tie the game at 41 apiece. Again the Red Raiders were able to turn up the intensity of their defense and get the ball back quickly. Red Raiders point guard Tiffany Corselli hit Hood with a picture perfect pass that led to Hood making another layup and giving her team a 43-41 lead with about five minutes to go in the third quarter.
Greeley would only hold the lead in this game one more time for a brief moment when Jackie Brown drained a 3-pointer, but this wouldn’t last long as the Red Raiders snatched the lead back on their next possession.
The Red Raiders once again proved they’re a championship level basketball team by working as a unit, which allowed them to take a 55-48 lead at the end of the third quarter. In that quarter alone they outscored Greeley 23-9 to take control of this game. Despite the 23 points offensively in the third quarter it was the way they shut down their opponent’s offensive game that made an observer really take notice of how solid this team is. This was the Red Raiders first game in nearly two weeks because of school midterms.
During the fourth quarter the Red Raiders lead went up and down like the Dow Jones Industrial Average on some days. At one point in the quarter their lead reached 10 and in the closing minutes it dwindled to just five. Hood and Robinson did the majority of the scoring in the quarter. Red Raiders Center Kali Gill grabbed some very important rebounds for her team. She even added a basket set up by Gill grabbing an offensive rebound. The Red Raiders went on to win the game 69-62.
With the win the Red Raiders now have a record of 14-1. Hood had 30 points in the game and was the leading scorer for her team. Corselli contributed most of her 15 points during the first half and Robinson finished with 16 points.
This week the Red Raiders will finish the regular season with away games versus Harrison and Rye before their final home game on Thursday versus Blind Brook. The Section 1 Tournament begins the week of February 15.
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