Seniors Shine in Lady Raiders' Regular Season Finale

It was senior night at Bolingbrook High School and the upperclassmen didn’t disappoint. 

In their final tuneup of the regular season, the Lady Raiders dismantled Joliet Central early and cruised to their 20th win of the season.

The three seniors on the Lady Raiders basketball team were recognized before the game.  Falon Edwards, who will be playing for the Southern Illinois next fall, knew it was a special moment.

“I’m going to miss my team.  It all went by so fast, but I enjoyed playing with them.  I’m ready to go to the next level and get better and play with my new teammates,” she said after the game.

Bolingbrook coach Tony Smith wanted his team to get out to a fast start, and the girls did exactly that.  The Lady Raiders scored two quick baskets in the first 30 seconds of the game, and their trap defense forced Joliet into three turnovers in the first two minutes.

After Ariel Massengale’s 3-pointer with 5:07 left in the first quarter, the Raiders had a 20-2 advantage. Massengale, who was named as a Mcdonald’s All-American before the game, scored 11 points in the first quarter.

“It’s a great honor.  In a way it feels like my hard work has kind of paid off somewhat.  This is something I told coach Smith I wanted to do coming in as a freshman and he pushed me to get to this point,” Massengale said of the award.

The Raiders opened the second quarter with a 19-0 run, and Massengale made several breathtaking plays that put Bolingbrook up by 50 points with more than two minutes left in the half. 

Massengale made a steal before threading the needle to Kierra Ray for a layup.  She then followed with a coast-to-coast layup of her own. 

Ray also chipped in big, scoring six points during the decisive run and getting three steals. Massengale’s jumper at the halftime buzzer put Bolingbrook up 68-11.

The team’s focus now shifts to the playoffs, and the back-to-back defending state champions know that a three-peat won’t be given to them.

“It’s not easy.  It’s hard work, hard work and dedication takes a lot of time, but we’ll be there,” said Edwards.

Massengale, who will be playing for the University of Tennessee next year, finished the game with her first career triple-double, handing out 10 assists and snatching 10 steals in addition to her game-high 29 points.  The senior superstar knows the postseason is a different game, but had a simple answer when asked about her team’s mindset at this point in the season.

“Dominate every game and win a state championship,” she said.

With the team’s recent history, this sounds like a recipe for success.