Basketball Game Preview: Kenston Bombers vs. Riverside Beavers

The Kenston Bombers will challenge the Riverside Beavers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Kenston fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Independence on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 59-58 to the Blue Devils. While the Bombers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Blue Devils 20-8 in the first quarter.

Despite their defeat, Kenston saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Eli Ellis, who went 6 for 12 on his way to 18 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Braelyn Akins, who posted eight points and three steals.

Even though they lost, Kenston 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 ten offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Riverside had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.8 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Saturday. They came out on top against the Skippers by a score of 71-59. While the Beavers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Riverside pushed their record up to 7-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for Kenston, their loss dropped their record down to 5-7.

Kenston didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Riverside when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 56-50 win. Will Kenston repeat their success, or does Riverside have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.