'I'll do anything for my team': Rickards Cosby sparks Raiders 28-point regional quarterfinal win
Romie Cosby knew what he needed to do to help Rickards basketball in his senior year.
Despite being one of the Raiders top contributors in his junior year, Cosby volunteered to come off the bench as the sixth man, wanting to provide the team an energy boost in his senior season.
Not missing a beat in his new role, Cosby's sparkplug playstyle was on display Thursday night, scoring 18 points to help lead Rickards to a 68-40 win over Columbia in the 5A Region 1 quarterfinals, the Raiders (22-6) seventh straight win and second over the Tigers (15-13) in five days.
"I'll do anything for my team," Cosby said. "I love my teammates and they love me."
Coming off the bench in the first quarter and connecting on two quick threes, Cosby's sharpshooting ultimately spurred the Raiders' offense, helping the team build a 36-18 lead at halftime. Junior BJ Plummer, who scored 14 points against the Tigers, said Cosby's effort off the bench helped the team find its footing.
"Romie is a good teammate, he loves everybody and he's a good friend and homeboy, so he'll sacrifice himself on the bench," Plummer said. "Him being a spark really helps us as the game goes on."
Coming out of the break up 18, Rickards kept the intensity in the second half with Cosby adding another nine points to his tally and helping the lead grow to as many as 30 points. Despite the high-scoring offense, Cosby felt the Raiders' defense opened up the opportunity for the shots to fall.
"Playing defense is a mind game," Cosby said. "If you can't play defense, you can't hoop or have fun, so it's big for us."
Rickards has held its opponents to under 40 points in all but one game during the seven-game win streak, including Thursday's quarterfinal. Both Plummer and Cosby forced multiple turnovers against the Tigers, and Plummer feels the Raiders confidence on the court starts with its ability to shut down the opposition.
"We take defense real serious here," Plummer said. "Defense wins championships, offense wins games. So we keep our defense up, we are going to end up in the state championship."
Now just three wins away from booking a spot in the state title game, the Raiders defense has excelled on the home court and Rickards could get one step closer to its goal with another home win over Riverside in the region semifinals.
Hosting the third-ranked team in 5A Region 1 on Tuesday, Feb. 20, Plummer knows how important it is to have the home crowd behind the Raiders for the semifinals.
"Playing on our home court we get a good crowd and we always play well and put on show for everybody," Plummer said. " It's more comfortable playing in front of the home crowd, we got everyone behind us so it makes it easier to pull out a win."
The Raiders will host Riverside (18-8) in the 5A Region 1 semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. The two teams have played once this season, with Rickards winning 69-50.
The winner will advance to the region final and face the winner of No. 1 Mainland vs. No. 4 Booker T. Washington.
Big Bend Regional Results
1A Region 2: Crossroad 62, Sneads 49
2A Region 1: Munroe 69, Oak Hall 52
2A Region 1: University Christian 83, St. John Paul II 53
3A Region 1: Florida High 67, Masters Academy 56
4A Region 1: Paxon 49, Godby 36
6A Region 1: Ponte Vedra 57, Lincoln 39
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards boys basketball, 3 other Big Bend programs win region quarterfinals
