Lusby, MD – The Warriors of La Plata traveled to Patuxent High School as favorites, and early in the game that status was up in the air.

Both teams came out with the hot hand; hitting shots left and right and trading baskets in the first quarter. 

The Panthers set the tempo on their second possession, when guard Darus Maddox threw a pass upcourt to a wide open Terrell Gross, who drove to the basket and threw down a two handed dunk. It was La Plata with the lead when the first period ended, with a score of 15-14.

In the second quarter, La Plata showed why they were the favorite, and bullied the Panthers backcourt with their full court trap defense. They forced multiple turnovers in a row, and at times would score 10 or 12 unanswered points. The Panthers struggled to adjust to the Warriors defensive scheme. At halftime La Plata was in control 38-26.

During the break, the Warriors senior center Jordan Oakley flipped the switch to his game and came out into the second half on fire. Oakley had three breakaway slam dunks, and went on to score all but two of LaPlata’s 17 third quarter points.

He missed only one shot in the quarter, and that was another dunk attempt which clanked off of the back of the rim. Patuxent tried to make a comeback, but the height advantage of the Warriors was too much. The score going into the fourth stood at 55-39 Warriors.

In the final quarter, the Warriors slowed down the pace of the game and played keep away with the ball. The Panthers made the most of what possessions they had, outscoring the La Plata 18-16 in the period. However, their efforts were too late for any type of comeback, as the Warriors milked the clock, and won the ballgame 71-57.

La Plata was led in scoring by Jordan Oakley with 23 points. Devin Collins also chipped in with 11 points. Their record improves to 9-1 on the season, and 2-0 in SMAC. The Panthers were led in scoring by Darus Maddox with 21 points. His teammate Terrell Gross chipped in 12 more, but they couldn’t keep up with the Warriors. Their record drops to 4-8 on the season, and 1-2 in SMAC.