There was a sense of urgency surrounding the Brother Rice Warriors as they entered their first Catholic League matchup of the season against De La Salle. A difficult pre-season slate with some trying losses made the team regroup and reassess.
And regroup they did, led by the crucial combination of strong defense at the beginning of the game that featured back-to-back three-point plays creating separation in the first quarter. Despite losing control and nearly witnessing their valiant 4th quarter rally slip away and what had seemed like a promising start going to waste.
Luckily, brother Rice managed to scrape by the opposition with the two-match winning combinations putting the nails in the coffin for host De La Salle’s chances. Warriors emerged as 65-64 victors in a tightly-contested thriller that did nothing short of keep the hearts of fans in their throats.
The clutch performance stole the thunder as it brought the opposition to a grinding halt in the heat of the moment, bringing coach players to exuberant celebration and fans to fever pitch. Having to stave off potential catastrophe the nail-biting win highlighted why this level of competition continues to attract hordes of new and devoted fans every year to the rich history and intense competitiveness surrounding it.