mdonovan@heraldsun.com; 419-6655
DURHAM — Riverside seems to picking up steam in the PAC-6 boys’ basketball race, beating Northern 74-49 on Friday night for the Knights’ fourth straight loss after a 5-0 start in the league.
In the girls’ game, Riverside (10-7, 5-2) ran off with a workmanlike 54-36 win over Northern (4-14, 2-7). The Lady Pirates remain in the race for second place in the league, tied with No. 2 Southern in the loss column but two games behind 7-2 Southern in the win column. Undefeated Hillside (8-0) controls the regular season girls’ race.
McKenzie Utley led Northern with 11 points and Jakyra Washington had 10. The team’s star, sophmore post player Zuri White, was held to two points by a much taller Riverside front line.
The boys’ game pitted preseason league favorite Riverside (6-13, 3-4 PAC-6), which boasts the tallest frontcourt rotation in the league with three 6-7 post players, against a Northern team (11-8, 5-4) that opened the year with five straight PAC-6 wins and led the league by two full games just two weeks ago.
In coming unglued in the second half Friday, Northern dropped its fourth straight in conference play and fell two full games behind league-leading Person and a game behind second-place Hillside, which lost at Person on Friday night.
Northern trailed 37-34 early in the third quarter when Riverside went on a 17-3 run that began with a 3-pointer by Jake Kusz (11 points) and ended with back-to-back, coast-to-coast layups by Al Hughes (20 points). Kusz tacked on another 3-pointer with two seconds left in the period.
Jordan on Friday night tied Northern for third place when it beat Southern.
Riverside, which has been close in many of its losses, finally played the type of game Friday that Coach Tim Ross expected to see all along.
“Al Hughes (3 steals) played real well and Terrance Thompson (15 points, 7 rebounds) rebounded,” Ross said. “Joey Cabrera and Muhammad Muhammad were the keys defensively.”
Northern coach Ronnie Russell was left shaking his head.
Asked his general impression of the Knights’ play, he just said: “Horrible.”
“We’ve been getting away from the things we do good and it affects you, it affects everyone,” Russell said. “Defense was a problem for us, of course, and we got outplayed. I know (Riverside is) having a disappointing season, but they looked real good tonight.”
Ricky Council II led Northern with 14 points and point guard Terry Rogers II added 12, but they combined to commit seven of the Knights’ 22 turnovers (Council 4). Riverside only gave it up 13 times.
With a chance to make a late league charge and head into the PAC-6 Tournament on a roll, Ross said not all is lost despite Riverside’s slow start.
“We’re getting over the hump,” Ross said. “We have five (PAC-6) games left, and we’re going to have fun and lay it out there and just see what happens.”
BOYS’ GAME
Riverside 74, Northern 49
NORTHERN — Tyshawn Harrison 2, Cody Leovic 2, Terry Rogers III 12, Ricky Council II 14, Ryan Arundale 2, Garrett Dorftman 5, Jarian Mitchell 3, Sam Murray 6, Caleb Hawkins 3.
RIVERSIDE — Muhammad Muhammad 5, Al Hughes 20, Joey Cabrera 7, Chase McCain 2, Jonathon Thomas 8, Jak Kusz 11, Terrance Thompson 15, Jordan Jones 4, Mike Tillotson 2.
Northern|12|18|9|10—49
Riverside|15|19|23|17—74
3-point FGs—Northern 4 (Council 2, Dorfman 1, Mitchell 1); Riverside 5 (Kusz 3, Hughes 1, Cabrera 1). Rebounds—Northern 22 (Hawkins 3, Dorfman 3); Riverside 28 (Thompson 7). Steals—Northern 4 (Rogers 1, Mitchell 1, Dorfman 1, Arundale 1); Riverside 12 (Cabrera 4, Hughes 3). Assists—Northern 10 (Matthew Ostrowski 3); Riverside 13 (Hughes 4, Tillotson 3, Jones 3). Turnovers—Northern 22, Riverside 13.
Records—Northern 11-8, 5-4 PAC-6 4-A; Riverside 6-13, 3-4.
GIRLS’ GAME
Riverside 54, Northern 36
NORTHERN — Jasmine Washington 3, Zuri White 2, Jakyra Washington 10, Mekaila Shaw 6, Nicole Crutchfield 2, McKenzie Utley 11, Maddie Ackerman 2.
RIVERSIDE — Maddie McCallie 20, Susanna Mathew 8, Kianna Colson 5, YaKima Clifton 8, Meghan Pleasants 7, Moné Jones 6.
Northern|8|6|11|11—36
Riverside|16|21|10|7—54
3-point FG—Northern 3 (Utley 2, Shaw); Riverside 6 (Mathew 2, McCallie 2, Clifton 2).
Records—Northern 4-14, 2-7 PAC-6; Riverside 10-7, 5-2.
