The Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders continue their reign as state champions after successfully defending their 2019 state title – the last contested state championship due to Covid-19 – with a 54-49 double overtime victory over Montgomery County’s Winston Churchill High School Bulldogs. Though this title looked in doubt for much of the second half and both overtimes, the Raiders found a way, and now bask in the program’s fifth state title since 2002.
After a 19-9 start, the 2022 state championship game looked much like the Raider titles in 2016 and 2019 – no contest. Then, the Bulldogs produced a 7-0 run capped by point guard Andrew Silver’s three pointer with two seconds left, a sign of the closely contested second half to come.
Senior James Rice, Prince George’s County player of the year, led the Raiders with 18 points, but after knocking down three triples in the first quarter, he and the Raiders went cold for much of the second half. The Bulldogs weren’t much better; the teams combined for a total of 12 points in the third quarter before a flurry of scoring that led to an overtime that was only possible due to the free-throw shooting disparity. The Raiders ended the night 16-33 from the charity stripe, while Churchill sank 21 of 26. Still, Roosevelt found a way to weather a determined Bulldog squad. With the score tied and 15 seconds remaining, senior guard Carlos Kinard found his favorite spot on the floor and released a corner three that found nothing but net, igniting euphoria amid the black-clad Roosevelt student section. But for the second time that night, Silver sunk a three, sending the game to overtime at 40-40 with both teams mired in foul trouble.
There’s not much that can be said about the first extra period. Both teams missed shots, both teams turned the ball over and both teams made exactly one free throw, leading to a second overtime. The score now 41-41.
Though Jaylin Payne, Roosevelt’s inside force who grabbed 18 rebounds on the night, fouled out, junior Tobi Raji stepped up in the second overtime, corralling two significant rebounds and scoring four points when the Raiders needed them most, especially after Kinard and Rice joined Payne on the bench with their fifth fouls. The Bulldogs also ended the night with three starters fouled out as weary legs populated the floor. Luckily, Raider point guard Fani Lewis, the only other Raider to reach double digits in the scoring column, never seemed to tire. Lewis continued to attack the basket and despite only making two field goals, he drew fouls and was the most consistent Raider at the free-throw line. Lewis went 8 for 12, including crucial free throws which allowed the Raiders to finally pull away from the Bulldog’s persistence.
The night ended, perhaps fittingly, with Giovani Sanford, the only freshman on the Roosevelt squad, sinking free throws of his own to seal the victory. And while that may be signs of future victories to come, right now the Raiders can bask in a remarkable pattern of championships under head coach Brendan O’Connell: 2013, 2016, 2019 and now 2022.