![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 Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Rock Ridge girls basketball team played the Heritage Pride, resulting in a 33-51 loss.
The first quarter started with junior shooting guard Evana Ebili scoring a field goal. Heritage quickly caught up, scoring a field goal of their own. This was followed by junior center Simone Diby missing two consecutive free throws, which was followed by Heritage scoring another field goal. After the field goal, Heritage scored two consecutive free throws, followed by Heritage scoring a three-pointer. This quarter ended 2-7 in favor of the Pride.
The second quarter started off with the Pride running the court. That stopped when junior point guard Eryn Chemoiwa scored two consecutive free throws, followed by freshman point guard Devika Goureddy scoring a field goal. The scoring went back and forth until Diby scored a field goal. The quarter finished off with junior shooting guard Nada Elsayed scoring a field goal. “[In] the 2nd quarter, I thought I was doing pretty good,” Elsayed said. “I just [needed] to talk more and get my shots up.” However, with Heritage managing to continue to grow the gap between points, the quarter ended with the Phoenix trailing 12-30.
The third quarter started with Chemoiwa scoring a three-pointer, which was followed by a free-throw again by Chemoiwa. Following this, Diby scored a field goal. Heritage quickly returned, earning both free throws and five field goals. Chemoiwa then scored one free throw, followed quickly by scoring two more free-throws. Heritage scored a field goal, and Chemoiwa made one of the free throws, cutting the Pride’s lead to 25. Despite finding themselves in a hole, the Phoenix didn’t lose their motivation. “After the second quarter, we started communicating more, and near the end, we [really] wanted to win,” sophomore power forward Esther Fenimore said.
Near the end of the game, in the fourth quarter, the Phoenix put up a fight. Diby scored three field goals along with Elsayed scoring a field goal. “Simone gets a lot of people [attacking] her, and she’s always going against three out of the five [opposing players],” Elsayed said. “She still ends up getting her shots in, and she just doesn’t give up, which is a big factor in helping our team.”
Reflecting on their performance, the athletes felt they did well but still had room for progress. “As a team, I feel like we played pretty well,” junior power forward Ashritha Induru said. “We just have to improve more for the next games.”
The game brought their overall record to 6-10. They will get a redemption on Feb. 13, playing against the Pride at their home.
