Basketball Game Preview: Riverdale Raiders vs. Evangelical Christian Sentinels

The Riverdale Raiders will be taking part in a tournament against the Evangelical Christian Sentinels at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday. Riverdale has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Having struggled with nine defeats in a row dating back to last season, Riverdale turned things around against Mariner last Thursday. They took down the Tritons 70-51. The Raiders' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Riverdale to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jamar Underwood, who posted 19 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rayshaun Lindor, who had 15 points.

Meanwhile, Evangelical Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 59-53 heartbreaker at the hands of Cypress Creek.

Despite the defeat, Evangelical Christian saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Quez Outten went 8 of 16 on his way to 22 points along with seven boards and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Irwin, who posted 15 points.

Evangelical Christian now has a losing record at 5-6. As for Riverdale, their win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-8.

Riverdale didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Evangelical Christian in their previous matchup back in January of 2021, but they still walked away with a 58-54 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Evangelical Christian's Jordon Rivera, who went 8 of 17 on his way to 23 points and six rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Wednesday, will it be easier for Riverdale to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.