River Girls Drown Bridgeport 83-7

The Lady Pilots played host to Bridgeport on Monday night, February 13, to battle the Bulldogs of Bridgeport in the first round of the Division 1V sectional tournament. However the battle was won early as the 24-2 Pilots clamped down on the homestanding Bulldogs with pressure defense to shut them down and come away with an 83-7 victory.

Fresh off winning the 2A OVAC Championship, the Pilots showed they have it all as they received 24 points from Hannah Raper, and 15 each from Kelsey Harlan and Rylee Knight. The trio acounted for 54 of River’s points despite playing less than three quarters of the game.

Also denting the scoreboard were Emma Reed with nine markers, including a 3-pointer, Zoey Fox with seven, including a three, Tessa Primm with seven, and Reese Hobbs with six.

River hit 37 shots from the floor, including five 3ás and went 4-7 from the free throw line. Bridgeport made just three baskets and 1-6 from the free throw line.

The Pilots will now host 16th seed Conotton Valley on Thursday, February 16.

Lady Pilots Too Much For Conotton Valley

River proved to be worthy of the top seed on Thursday night, February 16, in Hannibal as they destroyed Conotton Valley 86-13 in an Ohio Division 1V game. The Pilots will now turn their attention to moving on in tournament play as they host Garaway on Saturday, the game is slated for 1 p.m.

Thursday night massacre was no contest as the Pilots started strong and finished strong to gain the victory. They were led by senior Hannah Raper with 26 points, while Rylee Knight addd 22 and grabbed 16 rebounds. Kelsey Harlan their standout guard scored nine points and had seven assists and six steals in limited play. Emma Reed knocked in eight points on four baskets, while Zoey Fox also hit for eight . Reese Hobbs and Tessa Primm both added six markers, and Ava Wohnhas hit a free throw to end the scoring.

Conotton Valley was led by D. Hott with six points, while Higgins hit a three and Enold and R. Holt got two points each. They had a team total of five field goals and made 1-4 from the free throw line.

River hit 40 field goals in the contest and went 6-10 from the free throw line.

River advances to D-IV district

Top Seeded River didnát have it as easy on Saturday as the two previous tournament contests, but the result was still a win 29-25 over seventh seeded Garaway. As you get deeper into the tournament the competition normally get tougher and that was the case on Saturday at Hannibal as the 23-2 Lady Pilots kept the fans on edge the entire contest. However the home team advanced to the districk tournament with the win and will face a strong Tusky Central Catholic team who earned their way by beating Frontier last Wednesday.

Saturdays contest was a defensive battle with both teams struggling to score. However, in the end it was River who found the hoop at the right time as Emma Reed hit a layup with a minute to play giving the Pilots a four point cushion, and neither team could convert after that.

Garaway jumped out to an early 10-6 lead in the first quarter, but the Pilots fought back in the second frame behind a tight zone defense to hold the Pirates scoreless in the frame while hitting 11 points to take a 17-10 halftime lead. Garaway came out after the break and won the third quarter 10-7 to make it 24-20 River with eight minutes to play.

River increased their lead to 27-22 with 2.5 minutes to play, but the visitors hit a 3-pointer to make it a two point game. That was the last point for Garaway as the Pilots defense was tight and the visitors couldnát make a shot. Reedás layup ended it and the Lady Pilots celebrated as did the packed house. River was led by senior center Rylee Knight who was credited with a 12 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Kelsey Harlan netted seven points, including a 3-pointer. Reese Hobbs and Emma Reed each added four, and Hannah Raper hit two free throws.

“This was the best defense we have played all year. Our 1-3-1 zone was really effective,” Isaly said.

Garaway committed 10 turnovers. River was guilty of just five miscues “TCC is a quality team. They are a senior-oriented team,” Isaly said. “They have an excellent point guard. We will have to play well.”

River ended with 20 field goals and 8-13 from the free throw line, while Garaway hit 20 field goals but never made it to the free throw line.