You know it. You love it. It’s the biggest rivalry to hit since the US and England in the American Revolution. Ugh, the drama. The most anticipated games of the year are this Friday against Faith… despite the fact that RMA athletics are usually victorious, especially in recent years. Perhaps it is because the school is five minutes away from us, or maybe it’s over who wears red, white, and blue the best–we can’t say for sure. But we do know this: Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys Basketball teams beat Faith last week and they will do it again this Friday at home. Starting at 6:00 pm, our Lady Eagles will certainly make us proud on the court, setting up a win for the boys on their Senior Night at 7:30. 

On January 20th, crowds were roaring with excitement as the Varsity Girls kicked off the night with a win against the Lady Patriots with a score of 62-24. Isabella Daza led the way with 17 points, Mackenzie Davis put up 14, and Taylor Carmichel added 12. Jessica Proctor contributed to the win with a total of 9 points, most memorably some of them being an impressive 3-point shot that just beat the first-quarter buzzer. Juniors Audrey Roeder and Gabbi Ams added 4 points each, and freshman Landry Miller had 2. It was a great game for everyone on the team, surely fueled by the long-standing rivalry against Faith. 

With an already-packed gym, the Varsity Boys ran out to the swishing of pom-poms and cheers from the crowd as they began warm-ups. Lay-up after lay-up, fans watched anxiously awaiting the start of the game. Despite the “boos” coming from the Patriot side, the Eagles kept their heads held high and silenced them with the scoreboard. Senior Gabe Winham had the crowd cheering with 16 points total, showing out with four three-pointers in the first quarter, including three in a row from a distance. Wells Hutson followed close behind with 9 points. Timoni Barnes, Owen Smith, and Parker Eatmon added 5 points each, and Jordan Wright contributed 4. Will Tharin and Parker Sherrod each had 3, and Wyatt Wells followed with 2 points. In the end, Faith just couldn’t keep up and the Eagles took home another victory of 52-42.

While we don’t know the clear reason for the rivalry, a little competition is always healthy and a fun tradition to participate in. Be sure to come out to RMA at 6:00 dressed in theme (white-out) to outcheer the Patriot fans dressed in their theme, black-out. Of course, we had to match opposing themes to really get the energy going and everyone is encouraged to participate. At half time the Booster Club is hosting a free throw competition and the Varsity Cheerleaders have a dance prepared. Our lovely parents will also be upstairs providing concessions so make sure to come to support the Eagles in the last regular season game and watch the seniors play on their home court for the last time!