Patriots (Wootton) vs Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Recap

By: Darius Gordon

The first game of the day featured Wootton (Patriots) versus Greenbelt (Roosevelt). The players to watch coming into this matchup were Chase Mitchell from Wootton, a very shifty guard, and Donte Whitaker, who was looking to follow up his dominant Day One performance, where he posted 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists on 60 percent shooting.

To start the first half, Wootton set up several plays for Chase Mitchell, utilizing off-ball screens and running offensive sets through him. Roosevelt, on the other hand, focused on getting to the free-throw line and applied early pressure by double-teaming Mitchell — a strategy that would be interesting to monitor throughout the game.

With 7:19 left in the first half, Roosevelt held a 3-point lead with the score at 14–11. They implemented a full-court press, making it difficult for Wootton to bring the ball up the court. Midway through the half, Roosevelt maintained their lead, finding open shooters in the corners. Wootton continued to show fight but needed more players to step up beyond Chase Mitchell. By halftime, Roosevelt led by six points. Donte Whitaker and Jeremiah Rice both had 7 points, with Whitaker perfect from the free-throw line. Mitchell had 7 points for Wootton and was 2-of-4 from three, showing promise when his shot was falling.

In the second half, Roosevelt quickly pushed their lead to six with 11:27 remaining. It was a defensive battle, with both teams giving it their all. Donte Whitaker was outstanding, leading Roosevelt in scoring. He was either driving to the basket and drawing fouls or hitting timely three-pointers. With 6:06 left in the game, Roosevelt still held a 6-point lead and continued to play at a fast pace. While Wootton tried to keep up, they struggled to close the gap. Roosevelt’s press forced the Patriots to speed up their play, leading to mistakes.

With 2:33 remaining, Jeremiah Rice converted a tough three-point play to extend Roosevelt’s lead to six. He then followed up with another three-point play, helping Roosevelt pull away. Roosevelt went on to win the game 60–40. Rice’s back-to-back plays were key in securing the victory late in the second half.

Notable Players:

• Jeremiah Rice: 17 points, 4 assists, 5 steals

• Donte Whitaker: 18 points, 4 assists, 3 steals