The Midway Raiders welcomed the Union Spartans in some in county basketball action on Wednesday night. It was a close game throughout the match but the Raiders were able to snag the win by 12 points, 66-54.
At the start of the first quarter, the Spartans were first to get the ball to the net and held a early lead for the first few minutes. The Raiders were eventually able to take the lead away from the Spartans after several shots from behind the arc. However, the Raiders were unable to leave Union behind as only 5 points separated the two teams at the end of the first, 19-14.
The second quarter saw much of the same action as the first. Midway narrowly hung onto the lead as the Spartans were able to keep enough momentum to stay in the game. The Raiders could only increase the gap for the lead by a single point, 34-28.
Both teams made a lot of adjustments after the half. The Raiders came out with a lot of intensity but the Spartans were nearly able to match it. Midway did gain a few points on Union but not enough to secure the game by the end of the third quarter, 48-39.
The fourth quarter saw a lot of power and force from both teams as they pushed till the end of the game. The Raiders were just able to capitalize on a few extra shots than the Spartans to give them the win, 66-54.
The Raiders were led by Shyheim Small and Dariuss Perez who each had 12 points. Perez also hit the most baskets from behind the arc, knocking in 4 3’s. Austin Raynor added 9 points and Marell Bullock had 8.
Shaquor Newkirk led the Spartans with his all time high of 16 points. Donta Chavous contributed 9 points and Samuel Crumpler and Warren Gay both had 8 points.
Raider head coach, Matthew Creech was glad to get back into the win column. He also praised new Union coach, Keagan Warren.
“Coach Warren is doing a great job with his group at Union. They have a bright future with him leading that program,” said Creech. “I thought Dariuss’ outside shooting gave us a lift in the third quarter, and ultimately our defense made the plays that brought us out on top. We are excited to play everyone in our league a second time, and continue to show improvement as the season moves on.”
Spartan head coach, Keagan Warren was still very proud of the way his team performed tonight. “Congratulations to Coach Creech and the Raiders on a good win,” said Warren.
“The game was intense tonight, it went back and forth in the first half and my guys played just as hard as they could. They all fought hard and you can tell by the scratches and bruises that they’re coming out with after this game tonight, and they gave every single ounce of energy they had and put it into this game.”
Warren continued to speak on his team and why they lost. “We just came up short at the end. We made a few mistakes here and there and Midway made some shots down the stretch, but overall I can’t be more pleased with the way our efforts were tonight,” he concluded.
Union will travel to play West Bladen tomorrow while the Raiders will take on East Bladen. The Midway game is set for 8:30 p.m., while Union is set for 7:30.