![Phoenix gets in position to initiate the beginning of an intense game. “It's coming to the end of the season here, so [our goal] is to just focus on working harder,” senior lineman Ryan Abbondanza said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_0042-1200x800.jpg)
On Friday, Feb. 6, the Phoenix boys basketball team faced the Tuscarora Huskies. The Phoenix previously lost to the Huskies, 56-25 on Monday, Jan. 12. On Feb. 6, however, the Phoenix exhibited offensive growth, but the Huskies defeated the Phoenix once again, 50-60, making the Phoenix 8-10 on the season.
The Phoenix started the game off burning with energy, ready to play from the opening tip-off. The Huskies took control of the ball, scoring two field goals against the Phoenix in the opening minutes. However, junior center Filippo Gomes brought the Phoenix back into the game, scoring two back-to-back layups against the Huskies, tying the game. Senior power forward Siddharth Donthireddy then scored a two-pointer against the Huskies, but the Huskies didn’t back down, scoring a three-pointer against the Phoenix. Sophomore small forward Shawn Makassi immediately charged against the Huskies, scoring a layup. Senior shooting guard Dylan Chemoiwa followed by scoring a three-pointer, followed by a two-pointer. “We were getting in the opposing players’ heads, the crowd was on their feet, [and] we were just feeding off the energy that the Rock Ridge crowd gave us,” sophomore center J.T Lwanga said. The quarter ended 13-11 with the Phoenix in the lead.
Starting off the second quarter, the Phoenix were in control of the court, defending against multiple offensive plays from the Huskies. However, the Huskies eventually broke through, scoring multiple field goals and threes against the Phoenix, putting the Huskies ahead of the Phoenix by five points with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Sophomore point guard Brayden Coleman scored a three-pointer against the Huskies, closing the gap. Makassi then scored a layup and two consecutive free throws. The Phoenix once again led consecutive plays against the Huskies, with center Gomes leading the charge scoring a layup, breaking through the Huskies’ defense, whilst Chemoiwa scored three free throws against the Huskies. This led to a score of 26-31 to end the quarter with the Huskies in the lead.
The second half of the game started off with the Huskies and Phoenix clashing against each other. With the Huskies leading by five points, the Phoenix began to close the lead with a three-pointer from Chemoiwa. The Huskies shot back, scoring multiple field goals and free throws against the Phoenix. However, Gomes scored a layup against the Huskies, slowly closing the gap. After receiving a pass, Makassi scored a two-pointer, followed by a buzzer-beater three-pointer against the Huskies. “My whole mindset is that the game’s not over, so, there’s still time to fight, there’s no point in giving up now if the final buzzer hasn’t gone off,” Chemoiwa said. The third quarter ended 36-49 with the Huskies in the lead.
The final quarter was the most intense, with both the Huskies and Phoenix leading multiple offensive plays against one another. Simultaneously, the Phoenix used a strategic defensive system called a 2-2-1 that isolated key attackers on the Huskies team. “We changed our strategy, instead of doing our 2-3 defense, we decided to do our 2-2-1 defense, which is a full court press, and is a very aggressive defense, so I think that really worked,” Makassi said.
The Phoenix, however, did not falter to the Huskies relentless attacks, and scored a three-pointer by shooting guard Dainel Cho, followed by a layup by Makassi. Both Coleman and power forward Charlie Bowen scored multiple free throws against the Huskies, almost closing the gap, but the Huskies stole the ball multiple times. The quarter ended with the Phoenix down by 10 points, 50-60, and the Huskies ultimately claiming the victory.
Even after this loss, the Phoenix looked forward to improving their individual skills. “Learning how to deal with people who are better than me, [like]how to contain them [and]how to silence them can really affect our play,” Lwanga said.
Moreover, the Phoenix understood what mistakes they were making, and how they could improve in the future. “I need to improve my decision-making when attacking the rims,” Makassi said. “That’s definitely something I’m going to look forward to.”
The Phoenix will play against the Park View Patriots on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
