FREDERICK, MD- On Tuesday December 13, 2022, Tuscarora High and Frederick High competed in the basketball rendition of the “Battle of the Backyard” rivalry. The season series for the rivalry was currently 1-1 with Tuscarora winning in soccer and Frederick winning in football. Frederick came in as clear favorites in this game, being a team with many decorated scorers, leading the county in points per game and score differential. Tuscarora on the other hand, has struggled to start the season. They are a young team without one of the most prolific scorers, senior Camron Harry. Frederick came in as favorites in this matchup, however, this young, relatively inexperienced, Tuscarora team gave fans some hope after the first quarter.

To many’s surprise, after the first quarter, Tuscarora was leading 13-9. This excellent quarter by Tuscarora was capped off by an And-1 layup by sophomore James Miller. This brilliant show of balance and touch by the sophomore nearly blew the roof off of Tuscarora’s gymnasium. The “Titan Army” erupted when the quarter ended as their team was leading the heavily favored Cadets. 

The Cadets came alive in the second quarter. The Titans struggled to stop Frederick’s fantastic three-point shooting. Frederick rattled off 29 points in the quarter, 15 of which coming from behind the arc. Tuscarora’s interior defense stayed strong throughout the game, however, it really shined in the second quarter. Frederick scored only six of the 29 points in the second quarter inside the paint. Frederick led 39-28 at the half after leading by 18 at one point in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the Cadets continued scoring and their defense tightened. Frederick held Tuscarora to seven points in the third quarter. At this point, the game started to look like what most expected it to be. Frederick was up by 26 points at the end of the third quarter. 

The fourth quarter showed viewers the potential for success this Tuscarora team can have. This team demonstrated great resilience and a “never give up” attitude, despite being outmatched in terms of size and experience. This youthful team outscored Frederick and was the first team in Frederick High’s conference schedule to score 50 points against the county’s best. 

The final score, to most, just appears to be another expected blowout by Frederick High. However, this loss leaves hope for Tuscarora fans. This game proved that this young team can play a hard and competitive game against the best teams in Frederick County. This may not be a powerhouse Tuscarora basketball team like teams of the recent past, however, this team has shown that they have potential for success and potential to win games that no one thinks they should win.