Basketball Game Preview: Riverdale Raiders vs. Estero Wildcats

The Riverdale Raiders and the Estero Wildcats will face off at 9:30 a.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Riverdale has struggled recently with 14 defeats in a row, while Estero will arrive with four straight wins.

Riverdale is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against South Fort Myers on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Riverdale was beaten by South Fort Myers 52-16. The Raiders were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-9.

Raniyah Dubose was Riverdale's leading scorer, having posted ten points. Dubose also led the team in rebounds with three.

While Estero didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Mariner by a score of 43-31 on Thursday.

Riverdale better keep an eye on Amiya Lewis. She was instrumental in Estero's win, putting up 28 points and eight rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Lewis has scored at least a third of Estero's points. Jordyn Vaill was another key player, posting nine points and five rebounds.

Estero smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Estero's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Riverdale, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

Riverdale took a serious blow against Estero when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 56-6. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lewis, who went 10 of 18 on her way to 22 points and six rebounds. Now that Riverdale knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.