Raptors 905 Fall in Chaotic Nail-Biter to Capital City Go-Go, 101-99
With just 0.2 seconds left on the clock, Quincy Guerrier soared for a near game-tying alley-oop that had just enough drama to make hearts stop-but not enough to force overtime. The Raptors 905 came up just short on Saturday night, dropping their second game of the season to the Capital City Go-Go in a gritty 101-99 loss.
This wasn’t a pretty one. From the first whistle to the final inbound, the game was a slugfest.
Fouls came early and often-21 for the 905, 24 for the Go-Go-and the constant stoppages threw off the rhythm on both sides. Add in a few officiating head-scratchers and a scoreboard glitch in the fourth, and you had the makings of a chaotic, disjointed contest that still somehow managed to deliver a thrilling finish.
Let’s talk about that final play. With the 905 needing a miracle, AJ Hoggard delivered a pinpoint sideline alley-oop to Guerrier, who nearly pulled off the impossible. It was a fitting cap to Hoggard’s night-he came off the bench and made a real impact, finishing with 15 points and eight assists in a game that needed every bit of his poise and playmaking.
Hoggard’s fingerprints were all over this one. In the first quarter, he found Tyson Degenhart with a slick dime on a backdoor cut to give the 905 a brief lead.
In the second, he kept the team within striking distance with a tough and-one floater, followed by a savvy drive-and-dish to Olivier Sarr after drawing two defenders in the paint. That bucket helped stop the bleeding after the Go-Go had pushed the pace and opened up a double-digit lead.
Capital City’s transition game was clicking early. Akoldah Gak grabbed a board, fired an outlet to Alondes Williams, who found Nolan Hickman for a one-dribble layup attempt that drew a foul. The Go-Go were running, and the 905 were scrambling to keep up.
Then came the halftime buzzer-beater that wasn’t. Jarkel Joiner let it fly from full court-and nailed it-but the ball left his hands just after time expired. A highlight that won’t count, but still a moment that turned heads.
The third quarter brought some comic relief when Williams missed a wide-open dunk so badly that the ball bounced into the lap of a courtside fan. But Hoggard wasted no time making the Go-Go pay for the miscue. He attacked, got to the dunker’s spot, and fed Sarr for a bucket that trimmed the deficit to four.
Hoggard missed a pair of threes bridging the third and fourth quarters, but his vision never wavered. Early in the fourth, he slipped off a wide pindown screen and lobbed a gorgeous alley-oop to David Roddy-his first field goal of the night.
Roddy would go on to score nine of his 10 points in the final frame, helping the 905 claw back into the game. Hoggard followed that up with a tough bucket to make it a two-point game.
But it wasn’t just the offense. Hoggard also made his presence felt defensively, particularly in a key sequence against Keshon Gilbert.
With fouls being handed out like coupons, Hoggard managed to stay disciplined, sliding his feet and contesting without reaching. That kind of on-ball defense stood out in a game where whistles were flying.
On the next trip down, Hoggard took matters into his own hands. He froze Gilbert with a hesitation dribble, attacked the lane, and finished over Skal Labissiere, who had rotated over to help.
The bucket gave the 905 their first lead since the opening quarter. He missed the free throw, but the momentum was shifting.
Labissiere, for his part, was a thorn in the 905’s side. The big man went 4-for-7 from deep, stretching the floor as a pick-and-pop threat and ghost screener. His shooting forced the 905’s bigs to defend in space, and he made them pay.
Still, the 905 kept pushing. Hoggard ran a smooth pick-and-roll with Julian Reese that led to an easy finish for Degenhart, putting the 905 up five. The comeback was on.
Then came Sharife Cooper.
Back from foul trouble, Cooper exploded in the fourth quarter, dropping 15 of his 30 points in the final frame. In a game that felt like it might fall apart at any moment, Cooper was the calm in the chaos.
He hit all three of his three-point attempts in the fourth, including a nasty crossover-stepback triple over Reese. He blew by Tyreke Key for a layup before the screen was even set, and when the 905 challenged a foul on Key that could have fouled Cooper out, the call stood.
Cooper responded by drilling a pull-up jumper from the elbow.
“Justice is served for Sharife Cooper,” said the broadcast-and it was hard to argue. He was the difference-maker down the stretch.
Despite the loss, the 905 showed fight. They battled through foul trouble, questionable calls, and a game that never really found a rhythm. Hoggard’s performance off the bench, Roddy’s late surge, and the near-overtime alley-oop to Guerrier all showed why this team still sits at the top of the standings with a 10-2 record.
It wasn’t pretty. But it was a game that reminded us: even in the G League, the drama is real, the talent is deep, and the margins are razor-thin.