Essex, Missouri- Tuesday, December 4th was a busy day for the Richland High schoolers as the Beta Club put on a chili supper fundraiser, the Pep Band prepared songs to play at halftime, the Pep Clubbers painted their faces and put on all their red attire, and yes, last but not least, the Richland Rebel basketball team prepared for their first home game of the season.
The team this year is coached by Matt Cline and Tyler Feller, both teachers at Richland High. On Tuesday, they played the Campbell Camels in their own gym and it was a game that kept every fan in the gymnasium on the very edge of the bleachers.
The Rebels started their season off with two losses in the Oran Tournament in late November but that just showed them where their weak spots were so they could work harder to achieve success.
During the school day, the Pep Club and cheerleaders put on a pep rally to get the fans and students excited about the upcoming game where the Pep Club members dressed in red to “Red Out the Camels”. The cheerleaders performed a witty skit and music director, Amber Duley, did a fantastic job of introducing each and every basketball player.
The Rebels were missing two of their starters last night, but that didn’t slow them down. Senior Richard Forshee (#50) will hopefully soon be back on the court during their next game but had to sit out their last three games due to stressed tendons in his foot. Their other starter, junior Tyler Maddox, was at an absence but will also be participating in the next game.
The game against the Camels was definitely a game worth watching. It was a constant power struggle between both teams. The first quarter was 12 to 19 with the Camels in the lead. Both teams had to step up their defense due to their stronger players plowing through their defensive players.
The second quarter had the fans' heads whipping back and forth from one side of the court to the other as the ball flew into each net several times. The score of the second quarter was 33 to 34 with the Camels barely holding onto the lead.
During halftime, the Pep Band performed three of their more popular songs for the Richland audience: Party Rock Anthem, The Horse, and Crazy Train. The fans also got a special treat during halftime. With the big, gray hat, a fuzzy, white mustache, and a red suit, you would never be able to tell who was dancing in front of the crowd and helping lead the cheers. But it was "Colonel Red", Richland’s first ever mascot to step foot onto the basketball court. The fans both young and old loved Colonel Red and we look forward to seeing him at each of our home basketball games this season.
The third quarter continued to grip the audience and the players as more shots were made. There was a constant struggle for strong defense on both sides of the court. Richland pulled ahead but lost their lead due to Campbell’s multiple free throws, leaving the third quarter at 49 to 51.
The fourth quarter was definitely the most exciting quarter. The Rebels quickly took the lead away from the Camels and kept it throughout most of the quarter. The fans rose to their feet as the Camels began to catch up. It was a back and forth battle, with only a one or two point gap between the two teams just like the rest of the night. Due to multiple fouls on the Rebels, the Camels eventually pulled ahead and took the final victory of 65 to 71.
Sophomore Marcus Grayson made many incredible plays throughout the night and was the lead scorer, followed by sophomore Skyler Harper, senior Nick Daniels, senior Tyler Jacobs, and senior Jesse Barnes. Although they suffered a narrow defeat, the Rebels are still proud of their efforts and believe that the season will turn around very soon.
