The Riverside Girls’ Basketball team pulled out a nail-biting win on the road at Exira-EHK Monday night in a 50-45 victory. Riverside led by two at the end of the first quarter by two but was followed up with a pressurizing full court press Exira-EHK put on causing Riverside havoc. The defensive pressure resulted in the Spartans taking the lead into the locker room. In the third quarter, Riverside was able to get the ball down low and involve the posts more in the second half. Foul trouble, cold shooting and offensive miscues gave Riverside a lead back they never lost. Riverside iced the game down the stretch with a pair of made free throws from Junior Guard Sophia Fenner gave Riverside the five-point victory.

It was a matchup that hadn’t happened in seven seasons. Both teams searching for their first wins of the season. Riverside fell short to St. Albert last week, while Exira-EHK was opening their season up. It was back and forth for 32 minutes. Both teams started out slow but began getting more comfortable as the game went on. Senior Guard Harlow Miller began the game scoring on the post just before Riverside’s Karlie Miller answered with a three. The matchup between leading scorers Kadyn Schnack and Taryn Petersen was the matchup to watch as both could shoot from well beyond the three-point line.

After the first quarter ended 8-6, Schnack hit two threes in the second and Petersen hit a triple deep from three followed up by three drives to give herself a nine-point second quarter. The full-court pressure in the second quarter really got to the Bulldogs as the two three pointers by Schnack were all the Bulldogs could get in the frame. At the half, Exira-EHK led 17-14.

Riverside exploded out of the gate in the third quarter as they came out firing from three. Schnack made two more threes while Fenner had two more as well. Riverside’s defense held Exira-EHK in check as the Spartans only had eight third quarter points. It was 32-24 Riverside after the third quarter.

In the fourth, the intensity grew and the crowd grew louder. The Bulldogs really worked hard to get the ball in the post to Junior Sydney Somers more which resulted in a massive and-one she was able to complete. Somers ended up with eleven second-half points. Sophomore Zoey Rasmussen kept the Spartans in the game with a pair of threes in the fourth, but the effort wasn’t enough for Exira-EHK as the Bulldogs pulled out the 50-45 win to improve to 1-1.

Riverside and Exira-EHK both have home games tomorrow, as Riverside hosts Missouri Valley and Exira-EHK hosts Ar-We-Va.