(Oakland) Riverside is moving on in the Class 1A District Tournament. The Bulldogs secured a 59-47 home win over Stanton on Monday night to improve to 11-10 on the season.
The program hasn’t experienced a lot of success since their state tournament appearance in 2013, but this group of Bulldogs is doing their best to buck the recent trend. Brogan Allensworth scored 15 of his team’s first 21 points in Monday’s victory and the home squad broke away from a 13-all tie at the end of the opening quarter with a 21-10 advantage in the 2nd. In addition to Allensworth’s impact, Drake Woods, Grady Jeppesen, and Aiden Bell all splashed in three pointers in the momentous 2nd quarter to help Riverside open up a double digit lead.
The Bulldog’s offense cooled off in the third quarter and Stanton chipped away. A 6-0 Viking stretch that carried into the early stages of the fourth closed the gap as tight as 39-35, but Riverside responded with an 8-2 spurt of their own. The Bulldogs made 6/7 free-throws in the final minutes to help seal it. Three-pointers from Stanton’s Carter Johnson and Colby Royal along with Royal’s 5/5 free-throw shooting in the 2nd half helped the visitors stick around. The Vikings had a fighter’s chance with just over a minute to go when they got within 53-48, but the ball handling of Drake Woods greatly aided Riverside’s ability to salt things away.
Allensworth posted 19 points and 13 rebounds in the win while Grady Jeppesen added 17 points. Drake Woods joined them in double figures with 12. Stanton’s high scorer was Carter Johnson with 21 and Royal added 16. The Vikings end the year at 12-8. Riverside will meet either CAM or Fremont-Mills next. The Cougars and Knights were postponed until Wednesday.
