Last night in a packed, raucous Raptor gym, Bishop England and Academic Magnet, region AA rivals, went to war.

The Raptors came out with some intensity and passion, but it was the visiting Bishops who got out to an early lead 8-2 lead halfway through the opening quarter. Then, a Magnet 10-0 run to close the 1st quarter gave AMHS a lead that they held on to well into the 2nd half, a lead that extended to double digits. Heading into the break, the Raptors had a 33-23 lead and the Flock was roaring.

However, the Bishops came out of the halftime tunnel firing on all cylinders, and trimmed the Raptor lead to a mere 3 points. And just when it seemed the comeback was on, a Bryson Rose three pointer and a Danny Cunningham buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter, silenced the visitors.

But, true to the entirety of the game, the Bishops had yet another comeback, this time tying the game at 59 a piece with just 2:02 remaining. Then, while Raptor fans were anxiously waiting for a big play to end the Bishop England run, senior Danny Cunningham delivered in a big way. After receiving the ball deep in the post, Cunningham faded away and knocked down the turn around jumpshot while getting fouled. He finished off the three point play at the free throw line, and the Raptor defense turned up their intensity in the final seconds to seal off a 70-62 victory.

Academic Magnet finished the night with four players scoring in double digits, led by Cunningham who had 23 points and 6 rebounds. Also, sophomore Myles Myers had 17 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block while sophomore Bryson Rose and junior Alex Pastis both added 11 points of their own.

In a game that felt like a heavyweight fight, it was our Raptors that delivered the final blow. Magnet is now 11-6 (3-1) and they travel to Garrett Tech on Friday looking to build on a massive victory.