Lady Raiders win nail biter

The Rice Lady Raiders captured their second win of the season by defeating Ganado 27-26 right before the new year on Friday, Dec. 29.

The game came down to the wire, but the Lady Raiders stood tall and were able to get the job done.

The Lady Raiders have been a team that has been improving every game they have played and were able to put it all together. The Lady Raiders were 0-3 at the tournament before meeting up with Ganado for the fourth and final game.

The game started like normal as both teams began feeling each other out in the early stages of the game. Defensively both teams came ready to play and they collectively locked down the floor.

The Lady Raiders leaned on their forwards and centers to run their defense and made sure they limited scoring chances in the paint and controlled the rebound game. The Lady Raiders put on a masterclass on defense, but Ganado was still able to put points on the board.

Ganado’s defense played well also on their side of the floor, limiting the Lady Raiders to few opportunities in the first half. Offensively the Lady Raiders were much more aggressive, and it began paying off as they were about to run away with the game.

The second half was where things got interesting, and the two teams emptied their tanks and went all in for the final two quarters. The Lady Raiders were ready for anything Ganado would possibly throw their way.

This led to the Lady Raiders capitalizing on offensive opportunities late in the game. As time ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter the Lady Raiders secured the lead thanks to a trip to the free throw line.

With the final buzzer sounding the Lady Raiders celebrated as their journey just got more interesting with their second win.

Looking to build off this momentum the Lady Raiders set their sights on Industrial for their next game on Friday, Jan. 12, at Industrial High School.