Tuesday, Nov. 28, the long-anticipated rivalry game between the Frederick Golden Eagles and Mead Mavericks basketball teams had once again arrived. After falling short to the Golden Eagles in last year’s Elite Eight matchup, the Mavericks were looking to find their first victory over Frederick in the last two years. Across those four previous matchups, the Mavericks came close but were never quite able to get over the hump and seal the deal. The house was packed for what everyone knew would be an intense matchup between two solid 5A competitors.
After winning the tip-off and scoring the first points of the game, it quickly became clear that the Golden Eagles were in control of the game. Struggling to make shots and find ways to get to the free-throw line, the Mavericks were falling behind on the scoreboard. However, some stout defense and a small offensive run brought the Mavericks back into the game, and the first quarter ended with Frederick ahead 18-12.
The second quarter was much more balanced. Both teams scored 15 points in the second quarter. The Mavericks were finding ways to score and were cutting into the Frederick lead. Defensive efforts also played a key role in both teams, keeping the scoring low. Going into the half, the Golden Eagles were still in control of the game, leading 33-27.
Coming out of the half, the Mavericks looked strong. Firing on all cylinders, they were easily cutting into the Golden Eagle lead. Taking advantage of all scoring opportunities and cleaning up on the defensive end, they came away with the third-quarter scoring advantage. The Mavericks put up 16 points to the Golden Eagles 13. At the end of the third quarter, Frederick was still up by three points at 46-43. However, the offensive charge of Mead continued into the fourth quarter.
Battling back and forth, the Mavericks and Eagles traded the lead repeatedly throughout the end of the game. In the end, the Mavericks came away with a big-time win, earning a 63-60 point advantage in the final minutes of the game. Led by Matthew Angelo (‘25) scoring 24 points and Dominic McLawrence (‘24) scoring 22 points, the Mavericks had beaten the Eagles after a two-year drought.
