Photo by Bruce Crawford River’s Cody Hupp attempts a basket during a recent game.

The undefeated River Pilots held the once-beaten Union Local Jets to only two points in the second period and went on to capture a 58-38 victory Jan. 27 inside a jam-packed R.L. Potts Gymnasium.

After a modest 16-11 first quarter lead, the River Pilots tenacious defense took over and the Jets couldn’t recover, with the Pilots on top by 27-12 at the break, and 40-26 at the end of three with the help of a Lukas Isaly three-pointer at the buzzer.

Union Local played solid in the second half as the Pilots called off their pressure defense with the game already out of reach.

Isaly nearly outscored the entire Union Local team, with 36 points, that included four baskets from beyond the arch. Stone Thompson followed with eight markers, that also included a pair of long range bonus bombs.

In addition, John Murphy tallied five points, while Colton Lawrence and Dillon Grimes each drilled a three-pointer. James Hendershot sank a deuce and Drew Dietz sank a free throw.

Cal Kildow paced the Union Local Jets with 17 points.

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River Pilots Cage Shadyside Tigers, 61-45

The River Pilots kept their undefeated winning streak at 13 when they outscored their host Shadyside, 40-14, in the two middle periods, and went on to claim a 61-45 victory on Jan. 26.

Lukas Isaly connected from downtown in the second and third periods with buzzer-beating triples, while Stone Thompson scored 11 of his 19 points in the third period to help the Pilots take down their long-time rival Shadyside.

Isaly paced all-scorers with 24 points, that included three triples, with Thompson following with 19 that also included three bonus bombs. John Murphy added eight, Drew Dietz six, and Cody Hupp four points for all the River scoring.

Josh Zandron tallied a team-high 21 points, but 16 of those came in the fourth period with the game already out of reach. Kelly Hendershot contributed 14 points and Alec Shepherd 10 points.

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Pilots Shipwreck Blue Eagles, 64-29

The undefeated (12-0) River Pilots used a 25-3 run to begin the second half, going on to defeat Magnolia, 64-29, in boys high school basketball action on Jan. 23 inside the MHS Gymnasium.

The Pilots took a 15-11 lead after one period of play, and bumped it up to 28-15 by the break.

Dillon Grimes opened the scoring with a three-pointer for the Pilots, while the Eagles’ Leo Herrick knocked down a deuce for the Eagles first points.

The Pilots’ Drew Dietz tipped his only bucket back in, while the Eagles’ Devin Shimp added his only points on a rebound put-back. Isaly sank three freebies from the charity line after being fouled on a three-ball, but Magnolia’s Jake Gamble followed with a deuce.

After Isaly took a hard charge, he tallied a jumper in the paint that gave the visitors a 10-6 lead. The Eagles’ freshman Silas McKeever, in his second varsity game, scored from the wing before Isaly and Stone Thompson sank a deuce and a three-pointer, respectively.

Herrick finished the first period with a conventional three-point play to end the opening period, with the Pilots on top, 15-11.

The Pilots picked up the defensive pressure in the second period, causing countless Blue Eagle turnovers, outscoring their counter parts, 13-4, that started with a Dietz steal and basket, and ending with a steal and a Cody Hupp basket at the buzzer, to head into the locker room up, 28-15.

The 25-4 River third period was highlighted by four Isaly coast-to-coast baskets, and Colton Lawrence’s three-ball and deuce at the buzzer, with the Eagles’ only points of the period coming from a Herrick basket from beyond the arch.

In the fourth quarter, both teams played toe-to-toe with the bench players getting most of the playing time, and both teams scoring 11 points. However, there was a Magnolia technical foul and a River fan getting tossed by a water-bottle throwing.

Lukas Isaly scored a game-high 21 points, while 10 of their 12 players scored at least a deuce for the River Pilots. Lawrence followed with eight markers, while Thompson and John Murphy each adding seven, and Hupp six points.

In addition, Dietz and Michael Johnson each tallied four markers, while Grimes tallied a triple and Payton VanCamp a deuce.

Herrick led the Blue Eagles with 16 points, that included a pair of long range bonus bombs. Gamble netted six, and McKeever four points. Shimp scored a deuce, while Trey **

Pilots Remain Perfect at 11, Beat Frontier, 46-35

The Pilots’ Lukas Isaly scored 26 of the team’s 28 points in the second half to help lead the River Pilots to a 46-35 victory over the invading Frontier Cougars. The action took place Jan. 22 inside R.L. Potts Gymnasium.

Isaly picked up two early fouls and didn’t see much action in the first half, but the Pilots’ troops would hold their own, leading 13-7 in the first quarter and 18-11 at the break.

Isaly went off in the second half, scoring all but two of the Pilots’ 28 points, including four baskets from beyond the arch, to carry the Pilots to their 11th straight victory of the season, staying unbeaten.

John Murphy followed with eight points, while Dillon Grimes added five points, that also consisted of a bonus bomb. Peyton VanCamp tallied four points, while Drew Dietz was held to a deuce for all the River scoring.

The Cougars’ Hoff and Brookover each tallied 12 points to lead the way, while Howell added 10 points for all the Cougars double-digit scorers.