On Wednesday, the Ballou Knights faced the Roosevelt Roughriders in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Ballou fell 69-58 to Roosevelt. Ballou has struggled against Roosevelt recently, as their match on Wednesday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Ballou's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josiah GoMillion, who scored 16 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points GoMillion has scored all season. Samaud Benton-McDonald was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Ballou struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Roosevelt pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.
Roosevelt's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gabriel Hudgens led the charge by scoring 15 points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was Jamall Price, Jr., who scored 12 points along with six steals.
Ballou now has a losing record at 8-9. As for Roosevelt, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ballou will take on Woodson at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in District of Columbia (Woodson is ranked 26th, while Ballou is ranked 14th). As for Roosevelt, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Dunbar at 7:30 p.m. Dunbar has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 407 points over their last six contests.
