Basketball Recap: Hillside Skates Past Riverside-Durham with Ease

Hillside had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Riverside-Durham Pirates 52-23. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Hornets had established a 24 point advantage.

Leading Hillside to victory were Mckenzy Green and Jayla Smith. Green went 6 of 11 en route to 18 points along with five rebounds and three steals, while Smith posted nine points. That's the most points Smith has posted since back in November of 2024.

Hillside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Riverside-Durham lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Beck Arrendondo, who scored eight points. Another player making a difference was Esme Calkins, who earned seven points.

Hillside's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-13. As for Riverside-Durham, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hillside will challenge Northern Durham at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Riverside-Durham, they are taking a road trip to face off against East Chapel Hill at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.