Basketball Recap: Emmanuel Potier's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Atholton over Long Reach

Atholton's game on Friday was all tied up 25-25 at the half, but sadly for them it didn't stay that way. They fell just short of the Long Reach Lightning by a score of 63-60. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Raiders came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 111th, while the Lightning are ranked 236th).

Atholton lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Emmanuel Potier, who posted 12 points. Cameron Lyons was another key player, going 5-for-8 to rack up 13 points and three steals.

Atholton's defeat dropped their record down to 11-7. As for Long Reach, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-12.

Looking ahead, Atholton will take on Howard at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Long Reach, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against River Hill at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Long Reach knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully River Hill likes a good challenge.