As the top seed, River will get a first round bye Friday. Glenvar will host Alleghany at Glenvar High on Friday and River will entertain the winner in Springwood next Tuesday, February 22. All 12 teams in the region are in the tournament.
With a lot at stake Monday the Knights herded up the Buffaloes in impressive fashion. River jumped to an early lead and never looked back, using a 27-4 run to open a 35-11 halftime advantage.
“Our guys came out and took care of business as we knew what was at stake,” said coach Ethan Humphries. “We looked much more like ourselves defensively and that is usually enough to get our offense going.”
The Knights were playing for the district season championship, and that was on their minds prior to the game.
“The district title means a lot to us,” said Humphries. “We know how tough our district is as there’s been five teams that have held a state ranking for multiple weeks at some point throughout the season. While we’re proud and don’t take it for granted, we know it’s something that we put in the rear view for now and look forward to our next practice.”
Ryan Steger had 15 points to lead a balanced River attack. Patrick Clevenger had 14, Jayson Easton had 11, Ben Bailey had nine and George Toliver scored eight points.
The victory followed wins on back-to-back nights last weekend against Parry McCluer and Alleghany. On Friday the Knights traveled to Buena Vista to take on the 16-3 Blues and their 6’11” center, Spencer Hamilton. The big senior had 28 points, but River held the rest of the team to 20 for a 67-48 win.
“We executed our game plan and beat a very tough team that will go far in their playoff division,” said Humphries of the Class 1 defending state champs.
Jayson Easton had 22 points in the first half and finished with 28, including four three-pointers, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals. Steger hit four threes and had 20 points and Clevenger had 10 points, five boards and four assists.
A day later the Knights played at Alleghany in a make-up game and won 61-54 in Low Moor. River outscored the Mountaineers 25-9 in a decisive third quarter.
“We faced a hungry Alleghany team that wanted us bad,” said Humphries. “We finally settled in during the second half and played our kind of ball, but they made us earn it. It’s possible we will see them down the road.”
Clevenger led River with 24 points and seven rebounds and Jayson Easton had 22 points against the team he once played for. Heath Andrews led River with nine rebounds.
River is now 17-3 overall and seems to be hitting on all cylinders with the post-season upon the team.
“Both games this past weekend were amazing atmospheres to be a part of,” said Humphries. “We are starting to turn into the villain most places we go, which is always a fun challenge. Both gyms were packed and that’s how we want every game to be. We all know at some point this season will end, but to be a part of these types of games and moments is something that we hunted out during scheduling and try to embrace. We’re proud of our guys and enjoying the ride as we hit the playoffs next week.”
