On Wednesday, the Eastern Ramblers faced the Banneker Bulldogs in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Eastern strolled past Banneker with points to spare, taking the game 53-37. Eastern pushed the score to 43-20 by the end of the third, a deficit Banneker cut but never quite recovered from.
Samia Greene was her usual excellent self, scoring 30 points along with three steals. Greene is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Lanaia Martin, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Banneker lost, one person who can't be blamed is Rainelle McNeill. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds. That's the first time this season that McNeill pulled down eight or more rebounds.
Eastern's victory bumped their record up to 11-5. As for Banneker, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.
Eastern will look to defend their home court on Friday against Roosevelt at 5:30 p.m. As for Banneker, they will head out on the road to square off against Friendship Collegiate Academy at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in District of Columbia (Friendship Collegiate Academy is ranked fifth, while Banneker is ranked tenth).
