Basketball Game Preview: Chardon Hilltoppers vs. Riverside Beavers

The Chardon Hilltoppers will challenge the Riverside Beavers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

Having struggled with six losses in a row, Chardon turned things around against Berkshire on Sunday. They put the hurt on the Badgers with a sharp 68-42 win. The game marked the Hilltoppers' most dominant victory of the season.

Meanwhile, Riverside entered their tilt with North on Friday with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. They blew past the Rangers 65-44. Given the Beavers' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 192nd, while the Rangers are ranked 403rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Chardon better focus on containing Colin Durkin and Drew Brown as the pair were huge in Riverside's win. Durkin went 7 of 14 on his way to 17 points, while Brown dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. Those 14 boards gave Brown a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Joey Durdella, who posted 11 points.

Riverside pushed their record up to 9-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.2 points per game. As for Chardon, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-7.

Chardon lost to Riverside at home by a decisive 72-56 margin in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Chardon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.