Basketball Recap: First Flight Falls Despite Big Games from Sara Basnight and Maddy Beatson

First Flight and Scotland squared off in some playoff action on Tuesday, but First Flight had to settle for second. They fell 75-63 to the Scotland Fighting Scots. The Nighthawks were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Fighting Scots apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February of 2022.

First Flight's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Maddy Beatson, who went 12-for-25 to rack up 34 points and three steals, and Sara Basnight, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. That was a full 54% of First Flight's points, marking the third time in a row Beatson has posted more than a third of the team's points. Karlee Jester was another key player, putting up five points and seven boards.

Even though they lost, First Flight smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.

Scotland had a senior duo take command as Morgan Thompson shot 59% from the field en route to 45 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals and Alicia McClain dropped a double-double with 22 points and 12 boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thompson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Kayla Simmons, who earned four points and eight rebounds.

Nighthawks

Previous 5 Games

02/25/25 vs Scotland	63-75
02/22/25 vs Currituck County	52-38
02/18/25 vs Northeastern	49-40
02/17/25 vs Holmes	76-52
02/15/25 @ Northeastern	32-46

With the defeat, First Flight broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 19-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points over those games. As for Scotland, their record now sits at 14-9.

First Flight does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Scotland, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 69-40 loss against South Central on the 28th.