Preview: Riverbend Bears vs. Massaponax Panthers
Riverbend is 0-10 against Massaponax since January of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Riverbend Bears will head out on the road to square off against the Massaponax Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Riverbend was able to grind out a solid victory over North Stafford, taking the game 54-46.
Riverbend's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Hannah Alexander, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. Charlotte Mullinax was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with four steals.
Riverbend's lineup was just a bit different on Friday as Saniya Durham got a bit more time on the court (29 vs. her season average of 14.25). Durham made the most of the opportunity, scoring seven points along with six assists and five rebounds. A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.
Meanwhile, Massaponax waltzed into their game on Friday with ten straight wins but they left with 11. They claimed a resounding 63-19 win over Mountain View at home. Massaponax has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 games by 21 points or more this season.
Takiera Ramey was her usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 13 points and nine assists. Ramey is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jada Johnson, who scored 11 points along with three steals.
Riverbend's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for Massaponax, their victory bumped their record up to 20-3.
Monday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Riverbend have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Massaponax struggles in that department as they've made 40.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Riverbend lost to Massaponax on the road by a decisive 57-42 margin in their previous matchup on Wednesday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ramey, who scored 27 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. Now that Riverbend knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
