Catawba Ridge boys’ basketball drops double-overtime thriller to Riverside
Catawba Ridge lost 63-61 in double overtime to Riverside in the quarterfinals of the SCHSL 4A Boys Basketball State Tournament on Thursday night.
It was a close game throughout, with neither team able to build a sizable lead.
At halftime, Catawba Ridge trailed 30-26 after Riverside outscored the Copperheads 15-7 in the second quarter.
“We stalled in the second quarter,” Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers said. “I thought we rebounded with our effort in the second half, we got out and ran a little bit, but the second quarter, we got a little stagnant.”
The Copperheads came out and started the second half on an 8-3 run to take a one-point lead midway through the third quarter.
After that, it was a dogfight, with neither team able to take a lead larger than four points for the rest of the way.
Catawba Ridge led 50-47 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, but Riverside knocked down a three with eight seconds left. The Copperheads had a shot at the buzzer to win, but it was blocked and the game went to overtime.
The first overtime period saw teams trade scores, but it was Catawba Ridge holding a 59-56 lead with four seconds left after senior guard Zyan Hager made two free throws.
However, Riverside drove down the court quickly, and a half-court heave banked off the backboard in at the buzzer to tie the game at 59.
In the second overtime, Riverside was much more methodical in possession. The Warriors held the ball for the first three minutes as they dribbled the ball away from Catawba Ridge.
In this stretch, Riverside was sent to the free-throw line three times. The Warriors grabbed rebounds off misses on the first two trips to the line, while the second free throw in the third trip was converted.
Catawba Ridge found itself down 62-59 with less than a minute left and turned over the ball. However, Riverside immediately turned over the ball right back in transition, and Catawba Ridge sophomore Lance Barnes found Hager down the court for an easy layup to cut the deficit to one.
Needing the ball back, Catawba Ridge sent Riverside to the line, where the Warriors missed the first free throw but made the second to extend their lead to 63-61.
On its final possession, Catawba Ridge had a shot late to tie the game again, but it missed off the rim, and the Copperheads couldn’t get off another shot in time.
Childers said that the amount of time Riverside held onto the ball in the second overtime was crucial.
“We were on that end for a long time,” he said. “You got to give credit to (Riverside), they made one more play than we did. I thought it was a great game. There were plays made on both ends. Our guys played those situations as well as you can play them. They made two shots to continue the game. Got to tip your cap.”
Hager finished the game with a team-high 25 points in the loss. Catawba Ridge finishes its season 24-4.
Other scores from tonight
(Boys) Greer 65, Lancaster 53
This story was originally published February 22, 2024 at 12:00 AM.