By Whitney Metz –
Rivalry basketball is back in action on the Eastern Shore. Tuesday night the Arcadia Firebirds hosted the Nandua Warriors in their first match-up of the season. The Firebirds came out hot with a 16-8 lead behind Anthony Taylor who scored 8 points in the first quarter. Nandua continued to fight to keep it a close game, but trailed at the half 27-20.
Both teams came out with intensity to start the second half, with Nandua applying pressure on the Firebirds with tough defense. Arcadia could not maneuver through the aggressive Warrior defense and the team was only able to score 6 points in the third quarter. Nandua’s Jeremiah Riley took control of the game on offense for the Warriors during this time recording 12 points to help take the lead over Arcadia 38-33.
As the final quarter began, fans from both teams were on their feet ready for an ending to the back-and-forth competition. Nandua took advantage of its full-court press on defense and Arcadia was unable to respond to the pressure. The tough defense, combined with another 9 points from Riley, allowed the Warriors to start pulling away. Arcadia wasn’t ready to fold yet, and a couple of 3-pointers late in the game brought Arcadia back within reach, but time ran out. Nandua took the victory in Oak Hall with a final score of 54-49.
Nandua’s Jeremiah Riley recorded an impressive game-high of 30 points. Kevin Cropper Jr. from Arcadia led his team with 18 points and Anthony Taylor Jr. followed with 13. These two teams will meet again Jan. 27 at Nandua High School.
