Basketball Recap: River Ridge Comes Up Short

If River Ridge was riding high fresh off their 64-44 takedown of Stockton last Wednesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The River Ridge Wildcats fell 62-51 to the Warren Warriors on Friday. The Wildcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Warriors apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2024.

Defeat or not, River Ridge got some senior leadership from Joe Winter and Mason Smith. Winter went 9 for 16 on his way to 18 points and seven boards, while Smith went 5 of 10 en route to 12 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds. The game was Winter's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Damon Dittmar, who posted 12 points and three steals.

Warren's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Treyton Pafford led the charge by putting up 20 points and three steals. Pafford is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last six games he's played. Bryce VanRaalte was another key player, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 16 rebounds.

River Ridge has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-9 record this season. As for Warren, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-4.

River Ridge has already played their next contest (against Newman Central Catholic), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Warren didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 61-46 win against Camanche on the 18th.