Riverview girls basketball team rounding into form

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 | 9:09 PM

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The Riverview girls basketball team got a later jump into the season than some others as several players who enjoyed a run to the state soccer finals in mid November didn’t get onto the court until two days after official practices began.

Playing catch-up in a number of areas, the Raiders also used early games and the practices in between to get up to speed.

So far, so good in terms of wins and losses as Riverview entered the New Year with a 7-1 record before rolling past Leechburg, 51-22, on Tuesday in its Section 3-A opener Tuesday.

While the players and coaches feel they are not near being a finished product, they see continued progress.

“We know we have things to still work on, but I think our competitiveness in games is a big reason we’ve been able to get to where we are,” said junior Katerina Tsambis, one of four captains along with fellow junior Lily Bauer and seniors Lola Abraham and Callie Harden.

“That all starts in practice. We’re focused there, and that translates to games. That is really showing.”

The team’s progress will be tested on the road the next couple of weeks as it plays six straight road games beginning with a section matchup Thursday at Hillel Academy.

Riverview plays at Freeport on Saturday, then visits Jeannette in section on Monday and Penn Hills on Jan. 11 before a big section showdown with St. Joseph on Jan. 15.

“December really helped us get into the swing of things,” Bauer said.

“We know things are going to pick up in a big way. I want to see us play to our potential and be at our best. We know we have the talent on this team. We’re excited for these games. They definitely will help us see where we have improved and what we still need to work on.”

Tsambis said the momentum gained from the success of the girls soccer and cross country seasons — both finished as WPIAL runners-up and were successful in PIAA competition — carried over into basketball.

“We don’t want to lose,” she said.

“That was the attitude we took every time (the soccer team) played a game or the cross country team ran in a meet. We want to make it far this year. We know we can do it. We have to stay dedicated and know it won’t be easy. We’re always working on making sure we are incorporating all of our different talents, including our speed and agility. It is there for us. We just have to keep improving.”

Tsambis and Bauer pointed to team speed and communicating well on defense as strengths. The Raiders gave up 25.1 points a game while scoring 51.8 through the first nine games.

“We play man mostly, and I think that picks up the pace of the game,” Tsambis said. “We want to make other teams pass the ball quick and have to make quick decisions. That quick pace is who we are.”

Riverview’s only loss came in the second game of the season as Class A power Aquinas Academy jumped to a 20-6 lead in a game at the Aquinas Tournament on Dec. 2 and defeated the Raiders, 63-34.

Aquinas is 9-2 after a tough loss to defending WPIAL Class A champion Union on Tuesday.

“I think that because the game was in the early season, we didn’t show as much as we can now and could down the road,” Tsambis said.

“We didn’t have many practices before that game. Going into it, (Aquinas) was just way more polished than we were. They had practiced all throughout the fall unlike most of us. I would like to think that if we had another chance to play them that it would be a lot closer. Maybe we will get that chance.”

Riverview made the most of a home contest against Deer Lakes over the holiday break. The 64-32 win came in front of former coaches and players who Bauer said helped shape the program in a positive way.

Abraham scored a game-best 22 points, Tsambis added 18, freshman starter Juliette Brun contributed 10 and Bauer also chipped in 10 points against the Class 3A Lancers.

“It felt really good to get that win because my freshman year, they crushed us,” Bauer said.

“The gym was really crowded, and it was a positive atmosphere. It was just a fun game to be a part of.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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