Basketball Game Preview: Riverdale Raiders vs. North Fort Myers Red Knights

The Riverdale Raiders will venture away from home to take on the North Fort Myers Red Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Riverdale has struggled recently with 15 losses in a row, while North Fort Myers will arrive with seven straight victories.

Riverdale is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were dealt a 62-24 defeat at the hands of Estero on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 614th, while the Wildcats are ranked 167th).

Raniyah Dubose was Riverdale's leading scorer, having posted 12 points. Bonner Destiny held things down on the boards with seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, North Fort Myers was fully in charge on Saturday, breezing past Island Coast 52-13. The Red Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 22 points or more this season.

North Fort Myers' win came from a few key players Riverdale will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bianca Iten, who posted 14 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 14 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Gia Molloy, who went 6 of 8 en route to 12 points along with seven steals and six boards.

North Fort Myers smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 26 consecutive games dating back to last season.

North Fort Myers' win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 21.9 points per game. As for Riverdale, their loss dropped their record down to 0-12.

Riverdale came up short against North Fort Myers when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 52-48. Can Riverdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.