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.

The Riverside Boys Basketball team beat the Exira-EHK Spartans 70-26 Monday night to win their first game of the season. The Bulldogs had three players finish in double figures and ten total players on the roster score. Riverside never trailed in the game and had the ability to turn offense into defense all night long. Exira-EHK was unable to keep up with the tempo of the Bulldogs front court and control the basketball due to the stifling Riverside defense. A 24-point lead at halftime ended in a 44 point with both team’s entire rosters entering the game.

Right from the get-go, Riverside turned steals into easy layups. Within the first minute, Junior Cole Jeppeson had two steals and finishes at the rim to give the Bulldogs the early lead. Senior Dane Martens led the scoring column with eight first quarter points which included two three pointers. Senior Guard Austin Rasmussen was consistent throughout the game for Exira-EHK, hitting one of his three three-pointers in the first quarter. The Bulldogs led 20-5 after the first.

In the second, Senior Brody Henderson got going on the offensive side knocking down a pair of threes early to begin the quarter. Martens and Jeppsen followed up with a pair of threes of their own shortly after. Only two Bulldog points in the second weren’t from beyond the arc and took a 34-10 lead into the half.

As the second half began, the ferocious defense returned for Riverside and caused trouble for Exira-EHK. Riverside just like the first quarter, fed off of the turnovers the defense was able to create and turn it into offense. Exira-EHK almost the entire night ran a zone defense, preventing the Bulldogs to get much inside resulting in many three pointers taken. Fortunately, enough, for Riverside they were hitting them. Riverside hit four third quarter threes and took a 54-19 lead into the fourth.

In the fourth, both teams emptied their benches, and the reserves played a majority of the fourth quarter. Junior Guards Peyton Amdor and Owen Fenner led the way for Riverside and Exira-EHK’s Austin Rasmussen had 13 for the Spartans in the 70-26 game.

Riverside Head Coach Nick Kroon was pleased with the start and noticed the three-point attempts increase in the second quarter.

Kroon wants to see the same level of intensity on defense night in and night out.

Tempo is the name of the game for the Bulldogs.

Riverside is back in action Tuesday night in a home game with Missouri Valley while Exira-EHK hosts Ar-We-Va.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo admits his team has been a bit of a surprise this season. The seventh ranked Spartans are 7-0 with wins over, Kentucky, North Carolina and Arkansas as they get ready for Tuesday night’s Big Ten opener at home against Iowa.

Izzo says he has been impressed with the Hawkeyes under first year coach Ben McCollum.

Izzo says under McCollum the Hawkeyes play a different style than former coach Fran McCaffery.

Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum will make hs Big Ten debut against the league’s longest tenured coach on Tuesday night when the Hawkeyes visit seventh ranked ranked Michigan State. Tom Izzo is in his 31st season as Spartan coach and has led the school to eight trips to the Final Four.

The Breslin Center has been one of the toughest place for road teams to win.

McCollum says there is no way to prepare for the atmosphere they will face.

McCollum on if Iowa will go small against the Spartan’s double post lineup.

Michigan State is a plus-12 in rebounding margin and McCollum says all of the top teams in the Big Ten are good on the glass.

The Atlantic Boys Basketball team is set to begin the 2025-26 season tonight (Monday night). The Trojans come off just a four-win season a year ago, but Head Coach Dalton Franken said the team’s work ethic has been great so far in the preseason.

The Trojans return five of their six top scorers from last season, including Senior Gavin McLaren who averaged nearly 13 points a game. The number of starters coming back has increased the team chemistry according to Franken.

Franken says playing a Hawkeye Ten Conference schedule requires competitiveness each and every night.

Atlantic opens their season Monday at home against North Polk. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 P.M.

Audi Crooks poured in a school record 47 points as 10th ranked Iowa State beat Indiana 106-95 in the championship game of the Coconut Hoops Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida, Sunday.

The Cyclones are 9-0.

The Cyclones shot 64 percent for the game. ISU coach Bill Fennelly.

The 11th ranked Iowa Hawkeye women overcame a slow start and beat Fairfield 86-72, Sunday, in Iowa City. It was a game the Hawkeyes trailed by 11 in the opening quarter. Ava Heiden had 18 points and 16 rebounds. Kylie Feuerbach equaled a career high with 17 points, including four-of-seven from three point range.

The Hawkeyes are 8-0 and Feuerbach likes the chemistry of the team.

The Iowa State wrestling team finally broke through in the Cy-Hawk series. The sixth ranked Cyclones beat number three Iowa 20-14, Sunday, in Ames. It was their first dual win in the series since 2004 and snapped Iowa’s win streak at 20.

That’s Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser, who says it is a big step for the program.

It was another red flag for an Iowa program that continues to tumble out of national title contention.

That’s Hawkeye coach Tom Brands. Third ranked Drake Ayala at 133 pounds and second rated Patrick Kennedy 174 pounds were both upset victims.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball fell in its season finale to 25th-ranked Penn State on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes finish the season 15-17 and 6-14 in the Big Ten.

Penn State won the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-21. Iowa fought back and won set three, 25-22. The Nittany Lions won the fourth set, 25-20, to take the match.

Outside hitters Chard’e Vanzandt and Alyssa Worden had career nights against the Nittany Lions. Vanzandt matched her career high with 22 kills to lead the Hawkeyes, while Worden finished with a career-best 17. In her final match as a Hawkeye, Vanzandt notched a double-double, adding 12 digs to her stat line.

Senior setter Claire Ammeraal finished her career with her 12th double-double, tallying 43 assists and 15 digs. She added eight kills and hit .333.

Iowa’s back row was active. Senior libero Milana Moisio neared a double-double with 14 digs and nine assists. Moisio finished the season with 451 digs in her lone season as a Hawkeye. Sophomore Jaimie Marquardt set a career high with 14 digs.

The Hawkeyes (15-17, 6-14 B1G) finished the 2025 campaign with the program’s most total and conference wins since 2016.