Springdale boys manage section victory over Riverview
By:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 | 10:30 PM
Nothing came easy for the Riverview and Springdale boys basketball teams Wednesday night at Don McGhee Fieldhouse. The Dynamos had to fight for every point during a 41-32 Section 1-2A win.
Springdale coach Scott Ruppert sacrificed the vest he was wearing to help clean the floor late in the fourth quarter. Despite the extra moisture and dust, Ruppert pulled the garb back on to finish the game.
“I’m going to bring a backup vest,” Ruppert said. “Shout out to our athletic director for bringing the vest today. They are a great fit. It’s now a full-purpose vest.”
The Dynamos (11-6, 5-5) had lost five of their previous seven entering the game. Riverview bullied Springdale inside during a 44-39 win Jan. 3. This time around, Ruppert wanted to limit the scoring from Riverview’s big men.
Dynamos forward Liam Dexter, who scored a team-high nine points, was one of the players tasked with trying to control the glass.
“Boxing out was a big one,” Dexter said. “We sealed our guys off and outrebounded them this time. We ran the floor well.”
Miles Sigal, who scored eight points for the Raiders in the first meeting, was held scoreless.
Riverview coach Dre Corbin said he felt his team missed too many opportunities. The Raiders (7-11, 5-6) moved the ball into the paint but couldn’t score.
“I think our bigs have to finish,” Corbin said. “We got the ball inside, we just didn’t finish.”
Springdale opened the game on a 7-2 run and never trailed. John Duku scored on a layup early in the first quarter to put the Dynamos ahead for good 4-2.
Springdale took a 24-20 lead into halftime when Caleb Leahy made a high-arching layup off the glass with a minute left before halftime.
Ruppert credited the defense.
“As much as we like to play man and get out and guard, we have to acknowledge their height,” Ruppert said. “We thought the zone was going to be the best opportunity to be successful.”
Riverview didn’t go away easily. Despite not scoring for a 5-minute, 30-second stretch in the third quarter, the Raiders cut the lead to two early in the fourth.
Benjamin Franciscus made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 30-28 with 5:18 remaining. The Dynamos responded with a 5-0 run.
However, this stretch was stopped by one of Springdale’s three technical fouls. Riverview’s leading scorer, Alex Schultheis, who finished with a game-high 16, made one of the attempts, but the Raiders were unable to cash in on the ensuing possession.
“We did the right things to cut the lead,” Corbin said. “We stopped doing those things. We had to get back to that. Guys missed some opportunities doing the right things and lost trust in doing it consecutively.”
Ruppert said he was proud of how his team was able to hold the lead in the fourth quarter. It took a little bit of grit and a willingness to sacrifice to win.
“We’re using a lot of heart this game given our three technical fouls,” Ruppert said. “We need to start using our brains. We ran some plays to get our guys downhill. What our guys did best was counter-punch their counters.”
Tags: Riverview, Springdale
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