Donalson Paces Red Raiders in Win Over Mansfield

Senior co-captains Rogetta Donalson and Olivia Costello have been getting the job done since they were about 10 years old.

And last night was no different, as Donalson and the hobbled Costello poured in 29 of their Barnstable High School girls basketball team's 56 total points en route to a 56-49 MIAA Division 1 South Sectional first round victory over Mansfield.

Costello, whose two free throws with 0:41 seconds remaining in the game sealed the win for the Red & White, has been limited physically for the past month due to a reported ankle injury and unable to practice.

Donalson, who poured in 19 points on the evening, dropped in 11 of those 19 points in the fourth quarter alone, and in so doing revealed that willpower, as much as any promise, hope or statistical prognosis, has as much to do with winning basketball games.

Combined with Donalson and Costello's leadership, freshman phenom Molly Bent continued to impress with 12 points on the night, but it was also her defensive efforts that aided the Red Raiders in keeping the 2011-12 season going for another couple days.

Barnstable will face Dartmouth tomorrow night, Friday, March 2, at 7:00 pm at Hyannis in the MIAA Division 1 South Sectional Quartfinals. The Red Raiders have already beaten Dartmouth twice this season - en route to the Old Colony League championship title.

Last night was the first-ever postseason victory for second-year head coach George Bent who stands at 25-14 at the Red Raider helm. Last night also represented the first time the Barnstable girls have won a postseason game since March 1, 2008 when they defeated Weymouth, 51-39 in the Div. 1 South Sectional Quarterfinals.

Donalson, Costello and Bent are all hoping for revenge over last year's South Sectional Preliminary Round loss to Dartmouth when the Indians come to town tomorrow night.