Richard Montgomery Guard Josue Sigaran attempts a Michael Jordan shot. photo by Patrick Heflin.

Published on: Thursday, February 02, 2012

By Antonio Franquiz

ROCKVILLE - In what can only be described as a back-and-forth nailbiter that came right down to the wire, The Churchill Bulldogs took down the Richard Montgomery Rockets Monday night on the road. The 49 -41 win bolstered the Bulldogs’ record to 13 – 3 and set the Rockets back to 8 – 8.

Both teams put up shaky offensive performances in the opening half of the game, passing frequently around the outside rather than driving the lane, and consequentially sending a number of erratic passes soaring out of bounds.

On the flip side, this strategy allowed for a number of shooting opportunities on both sides, allowing for players such as senior Forward Jamal Maddox to score two three-pointers for the Rockets in the first half.

The Rockets trailed the Bulldogs by only two points at the half, 19 – 17, and both teams took the court in the second half looking decidedly different than they had in the first. Rockets’ Head Coach Scott Spear and Bulldogs’ Head Coach Matt Miller must have given some convincing halftime pep talks.

Junior Guard Deonte Broaddus of Richard Montgomery opened the second half on his own terms, driving hard to the net for the first points of the third quarter. Bulldogs Guard Christian Bonaparte came back strong, attempting to penetrate the Rockets’ defense on the next play, but was stuffed on a huge block that set up another easy two in the paint for the Richard Montgomery.

It was an altogether much more physical third quarter, coming to an end with Churchill leading by only a single point, 32 -31.

The final quarter seemed something like a tennis rally, with both teams striking back and forth at each other throughout, both from range and in the paint. Rockets’ junior Guard Elhoussan Hakimi rained a big three-pointer with just a few minutes left in play only to be answered immediately by a three from Bulldogs Guard Sam Edens. 

Leading 44 – 39 (a hefty deficit, by this game’s standards), Churchill took a timeout with just under two minutes left in play, granting Richard Montgomery its final shot at a comeback.

Rockets’ junior Forward Tory Sharps and Bulldogs’ Forward Thomas Geenan both fell hard on the following inbound pass. Geenan was able to hobble gingerly off the court, but Sharps stayed down for a number of minutes, pulling pained faces while his hip/lower back area was assessed.

From there, the clock wound down to zero with Churchill still up 49 – 41 for the win. They next go on to face Walter Johnson High School on the road while the Rockets prepare for Whitman at home.