The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Beavers continue momentum in 2018
Beavers are 2-1 in 2018 after beating Perry on Jan. 13
A new year has brought with it a new outlook for Riverside.
The Beavers ended 2017 on a six-game losing streak, but are now 2-1 in 2018 after knocking off visiting neighborhood rival Perry on Jan. 13, 64-55.
Riverside (3-7) held a major advantage in rebounding, built a 10-point halftime lead and showed poise in holding on for the win after the Pirates made a second-half charge.
Three players scored in double figures for the Beavers, led by a game-high 23 by junior Andrew Keller.
Fellow junior Jarrod Spiesman added 15, while senior Nate Sleek had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s a big win, definitely gives us momentum going into our game against Chardon Tuesday,” Keller said. “We haven’t had very many wins this season, so this is definitely a big one considering that they’re just 5-10 minutes down the road.”
Riverside held a 28-10 rebounding edge, committed half as many turnovers (seven) as the Pirates (14), and doubled them up at the free throw line (12 makes to six).
“This was a great win for us, because Perry is a great team, and obviously they shoot the ball very well,” Riverside coach Matt Grendel said. “We couldn’t really help off the wings, because they have guys that can shoot. What I was most proud of was that when Perry made some runs, our guys never folded, just kept playing hard. We were able to respond when things got tough, and it was a great step in the right direction for our program.”
After Perry’s Jake Reid scored the first basket of the game, Riverside ran off 13 of the next 15 points to take a 13-4 lead, and ended the first quarter ahead, 2111.
Perry (6-4) couldn’t get a lot going offensively throughout the first half because of Riverside’s defense, which limited good looks at the basket.
Sleek also pulled down eight of his 12 rebounds in the first half and scored 10 of his 12 points before the half.
The Beavers kept their advantage at 10 points, taking a 34-24 lead into halftime.
Coming out in the third quarter, the Pirates committed to pressure defense, and getting the ball to marksman Drew Schiano on offense. The 5-foot-8 sophomore came through, drilling four triples in the third quarter as Perry cut its deficit in half going into the fourth, 48-43. The Pirates lost 6-foot-4 junior Matthew Cool, however, who fouled out with six points.
The Beavers’ lead wavered between five and eight points in the fourth quarter, before Schiano hit his fifth 3 of the game on a pass from Reid to make it 59-55 with about two minutes left. Spiesman, who scored seven points in the final frame, followed with a basket, and then split a pair of free throws when Reid fouled out. Keller sank two more from the line in the final seconds to account for the final margin.
“We definitely rebounded well, and limited the turnovers,” Keller said. “We just had to stay calm through those stretches when they were hitting threes, just come together, make shots and rebound.”
Keller’s forte is driving to the basket and scoring underneath, and in doing so against the Pirates, he was able to draw fouls and go to the line seven times, connecting on five. He also showed some outside range, knocking down two triples in the third quarter, a frame in which he scored 10 points to keep the Pirates at arms’ length despite Schiano heating up.
“Andrew having had that year of experience from last year, he’s definitely shown some growth,” Grendel. “At the end of the game, (it’s good) to have a guy like him that we can count on. When the ball is in his hands, we’re confident he’s going to make the right play for us. It really helps us for him to be a leader on the floor and taking care of the basketball.”
Schiano led Perry with 18 points, Reid contributed 14, and Nate Cubbison added 11 off the bench, including three triples. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Pirates, who travel to Chagrin Falls on Jan. 16.
“Some of our frustration at halftime was we didn’t feel our intensity was where it needed to be, and certain stats like the rebounding
will bear that out,” Perry coach Al Iacofano said. “I thought our energy was better in the second half, but Riverside kept making shots and playing with confidence, and when you’re down against a team that’s playing with confidence at home, that’s tough to come back from.”
Riverside will look to continue its momentum when it travels to league foe Chardon on Jan. 16, in a game that was rescheduled from Jan. 12. The Beavers were originally slated to host Lake Catholic on Jan. 16, but that contest will be rescheduled for a later date.
“Hopefully this (will provide) momentum for us, because we have a quick
turnaround,” Grendel said. “We’ll have a practice and then we go to play Chardon, and that will be a very tough game on Tuesday. We still have a lot of games to play, so hopefully we’ll build off this and continue to get better.”