MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Feb. 3–10)
SIX RIVERS WEST BOYS BASKETBALL: River Ridge 65, #5 Belmont 63
By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent
Davis, Timberwolves rally to upset #5 Braves
BELMONT – They held their only lead in the second half for exactly 5.7 seconds, but it was long enough for coach Dan Moris and his River Ridge boys’ basketball team to knock off the fifth-ranked division 5 team in the state last Tuesday night.
With a 65–63 victory over league leading Belmont, the Timberwolves shook up the Six Rivers West conference, dropping the Braves (15–2, 9–2) into second place with two losses, and vaulting Potosi/Cassville (10–5, 8–1), who defeated Shullsburg the same night, into the top spot. River Ridge (11–6, 7–3) jumped a half game ahead of Shullsburg (9–8, 7–4) into the third spot.
“It was a great team win for us,” said coach Dan Moris. “As a team, we were able to take care of the ball when we had it, get stops on defense when we needed it, and counter any run they went on.”
After taking a 34–33 lead into the locker room at intermission, the Braves came out in the second half and quickly pushed their lead to six points at 41–35 in the first three minutes.
River Ridge responded with buckets from Brock Bunge and Reese Drew to pull back within one point at 44–43 with 12:22 showing on the clock.
For the next eight minutes, the two teams were tied once at 48–48 before the Braves held another six point lead at 58–52 with four minutes to play.
While Belmont scored only one field goal and was 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the final four minutes to score five points, River Ridge netted 13 points on five field goals and two free throws in the final four minutes, getting seven points from senior guard Brandon Davis.
The Timberwolves took their only lead of the second half at 64–63 with 5.7 seconds to play on a runner in the lane by Davis. Following a turnover by the Braves, a free throw by Jackson White with 2.8 seconds to play sealed the victory, though a half court heave by Belmont’s Boone Havens bounced off the front of the rim as time expired.
“In the final minute of the game, Brandon delivered a great pass to Kam Reynolds cutting to the hoop for the score and to bring us within one,” explained coach Moris of the final seconds. “Then, we wanted the ball in his hands for the final shot, and he delivered for us again.”
Davis concluded the contest with a team-high 25 points on 10 of 23 shooting from the floor, netting 14 points in the second half. He also pulled down six rebounds to go along with a team-high four steals.
Bunge finished with 10 points, followed by nine from Reynolds, seven from Reese Drew and six from Lane Copsey.
While the Braves outscored River Ridge 33–24 from 3-point land, the Timberwolves held a 34–24 scoring edge inside the arc and a 7–6 edge at the free throw line.
“We’ve played in so many tight games this year, and I feel like we’re all starting to gain some confidence in closing them out,” said coach Moris. “It’s about guys buying into their roles and believing in each other, and then executing on the floor. I’m hopeful we can keep that momentum going. It’s a good time of the year to be playing well.”
Next up for the Timberwolves will be a home game against visiting Shullsburg this Friday evening.
River Ridge 65, Belmont 63
(from Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Belmont)
River Ridge.....33 32 — 65
Belmont...........34 29 — 63
River Ridge — Brandon Davis 25, Kameren Reynolds 9, Brock Bunge 10, Reese Drew 7, Noah Copsey 4, Lane Copsey 6, Jackson White 4. Totals — 25-72, 7-9 65.
Belmont — Ian Austin 6, Wyatt Temperly 8, Griffin McNett 6, Boone Havens 25, Logan Kress 3, Thomas Freeman 15. Totals — 23-59, 6-11 63.
3-point goals — RR: (8-23) Davis 3, Reynolds 1, Bunge 1, Drew 1, L. Copsey 2; B: (11-28) Austin 2, Temperly 2, McNett 2, Havens 4, Kress 1. Team fouls — RR 11, B 8. Fouled out — None.
