The Eastern Ramblers struggled with offensive rebounds on Thursday (the Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers had nine more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Eastern took a 45-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Archbishop Spalding. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Eastern came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked first in District of Columbia, while Archbishop Spalding is ranked 71st in Maryland).
Eastern's loss came despite strong showings from Lanaia Martin and Samia Greene. Martin dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Greene scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. The match was Greene's seventh in a row with at least ten points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Archbishop Spalding to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ryanne Clark, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds. Those eight rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Madison Smith, who scored eight points.
Eastern's defeat dropped their record down to 6-2-1. As for Archbishop Spalding, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Eastern's road trip will continue as they head out to face Tournament Opponent at 1:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Tournament Opponent is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak. Archbishop Spalding won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Coolidge at 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023.
