By Temwa Chisanga
The first week of the 2023 Capitol Hoops Summer League saw many great teams come to play, with three teams finishing off the week at 3-0. Of the three undefeated teams, one team that stood out to the Capitol Hoops Summer League writing team was Riverdale Baptist.
The private school located in Prince George’s County is participating in the Capitol Hoops Summer League for the first time since 2019, and thus far their return has been nothing short of impressive. Through gritty rebounding performances, extraordinary ball movement, and a fighting spirit that never seems to quit, Riverdale Baptist has kicked off their summer with a 3-0 record and shows no signs of slowing down.
Despite missing a few key starters in their opening game, Riverdale Baptist kicked off this year’s campaign by completing a huge comeback in an overtime thriller over Flint Hill. Despite trailing 43-26 at halftime, Riverdale Baptist clawed back into the game and came out on top after a gritty overtime performance. The duo of ‘24 G Xavier Pickett and ‘25 F Dominic Carr led Riverdale Baptist down the final stretch with big-time plays to capture momentum when it mattered most.
Even though many of Riverdale Baptist’s key players made their debuts against South Lakes, Riverdale Baptist once again found themselves trailing heading into halftime 43-40. Similarly to their first game, Riverdale Baptist refused to give up and clawed their way back, outscoring South Lakes by 11 points in the second half, which was enough to capture the victory. Like their first game, Dominic Carr once again stepped up providing a strong performance cleaning the glass and protecting the rim with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, while also contributing 16 points.
Riverdale Baptist would conclude their opening week with an impressive 80-74 victory over St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes’. While the scoreboard indicates a close game, Riverdale Baptist jumped out to a commanding 41-31 lead heading into halftime. It was during the second half when St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes’ started to dig into the lead a bit. Despite St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes’ attempt at a comeback, Riverdale Baptist continued their trend of maintaining composure during the second half and captured the impressive victory. From start to finish the ‘24 G duo of Nate Wooden and Jack Furham dominated, combining for 41 of the team’s 80 points.
Riverdale Baptist has faced some challenges en route to their 3-0 start, but like all other great teams, they maintained composure and continued to play great team ball. With different players stepping up when necessary, and the team moving the ball so effectively, it is easy to see the chemistry between the team players. When asked about the team’s chemistry after the team’s victory over St. Stephen & St. Agnes, ‘24 G Nate Wooden stated “Most of us have been playing with each other for 2-3 years, so we kind of know where we each like it.”
Riverdale Baptist’s next opportunity to extend their undefeated streak will come against the 1-1 Warriors of Sherwood on June 2. With seven games left in their campaign, Riverdale Baptist will look to continue their impressive performances and secure a high seed in this year’s playoffs.