Basketball Recap: Tommy Deloreto's Big Game Can't Quite Lead River Ridge over Mitchell

River Ridge lost against Mitchell back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The River Ridge Royal Knights came up short against the Mitchell Mustangs, falling 94-72. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Royal Knights have suffered since December 3, 2024.

River Ridge's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tommy DeLoreto, who went 5 of 6 en route to 15 points in addition to six rebounds and five steals. That's the most steals DeLoreto has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of John Golden, who went 5 for 10 on his way to 14 points and seven boards.

Even though they lost, River Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.

Mitchell's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cayden Thomas, who dropped a triple-double on 18 points, ten rebounds, and 12 assists. Thomas' evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Zack Harrington also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assists of the season.

River Ridge has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last 12 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-9 record this season. As for Mitchell, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 8-7.

River Ridge has already played their next contest, an 86-84 defeat against Fivay on the 14th. As for Mitchell, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 75-66 loss against Sports Leadership & Management on the 13th.