Basketball Game Preview: Riverview Sarasota Rams vs. Hilliard Red Flashes

Two dominant forwards in Taylor Davidson and Alyssa Hallman are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Riverview Sarasota Rams and the Hilliard Red Flashes will round out the year against one another at at 12:45 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Riverview Sarasota is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Lehigh: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Riverview Sarasota blew Lehigh out of the water with a 67-28 final score. That looming 67-28 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Rams yet this season.

Riverview Sarasota found their leader in sophomore Ava Noto, who went 7 for 9 on her way to 17 points and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Noto has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabriela Morales, who posted six points and five steals.

Riverview Sarasota was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Meanwhile, Hilliard came tearing into Wednesday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bulldogs 54-17. The squad ran away with 45 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the win.

Riverview Sarasota better keep an eye on Hallman. She was instrumental in Hilliard's win, going 9 of 16 on her way to 21 points in addition to six boards and six steals. Hallman's evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Molly Dean, who put up nine points and three steals.

Hilliard's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.8 points. As for Riverview Sarasota, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Riverview Sarasota has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34 boards per game. However, it's not like Hilliard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.