On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Phoenix girls basketball team played the Potomac Falls Panthers, resulting in a 53-42 loss. Despite enduring their second loss in four games, the Phoenix put up a fight throughout the game, consistently going back and forth against the Panthers.

Starting off the first quarter, the Panthers were in control of the court, securing an eight-point lead early. However, the Phoenix didn’t hesitate to fire back. Junior Eyrn Chemoiwa scored two consecutive free throws against the Panthers, bringing the Phoenix back into the game. “I really liked the game, but it was kind of tough at first because I got three early fouls in the first half, so I had to sit,” Chemoiwa said. “But in the second half, it was good, and we were able to come back.” Near the end of the first quarter, a player from the Panthers defending against junior Simone Diby’s layup was injured. The first quarter ended with the Panthers in the lead with a score of 13-7. 

Continuing into the second quarter, both the Phoenix and Panthers were going back and forth. Chemoiwa scored the first three-pointer against the Panthers in the second quarter, followed by a field goal by Diby. However, the Panthers weren’t staggered by this and came back with a stronger offensive push against the Phoenix. The Phoenix didn’t falter either, defending multiple plays from the Panthers. The second quarter ended with the Panthers being up 33-12.

Starting off the second half of the game, the Phoenix picked up the pace. Chemoiwa scored two free throws and two consecutive three-pointers; simultaneously, Diby scored four free throws throughout the rest of the third quarter. “Our defense picked up, we played with more urgency, and everyone started trusting each other and hustling for every possession, ” junior Evana Ebili said. The third quarter ended with the Panthers being in the lead with a score of 41-24. 

The final quarter was tense, with both the Phoenix and Panthers scoring free throws against one another. Eventually, the Phoenix were down by 17 points against the Panthers. However, with a few minutes left on the timer, the Phoenix led waves of offensive plays against the Panthers, scoring 18 points against the Panthers – the most notable scores from Chemoiwa, Diby, and Induru. 

“We wanted it,” Diby said. “We were just like, ‘Hey, guys, like our irons back. Let’s do this’, and so we just pressed up. We’re getting steals.
We closed the gap. We scored like 15 in a row.” The Panthers didn’t withdraw either, continuing to attack the Phoenix throughout the rest of the fourth quarter. Yet, the Phoenix didn’t hesitate, but rather retaliated by scoring a two-pointer from Ebili. However, this wasn’t enough for the Phoenix to win the game, and they lost to the Panthers 53-42. 

The Phoenix dropped to 4-5 on the season and will play against the Woodgrove Wolverines on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Noah Wilkins

Sophomore Emmy Hagler shoots a three-pointer against the Panthers.

This article previously named Emmy Hagler as Esther Fenimore and freshman Devika Goureddy as sophomore Devika Goureddy. An updated version of the article has been published.