Basketball Game Preview: Riverbend Bears vs. Massaponax Panthers

Bears

Points

02/06/25 @ Brooke Point	64
02/04/25 vs Stafford	55
01/31/25 @ Colonial Forge	36
01/28/25 vs North Stafford	67
01/24/25 @ Mountain View	51
+ 14 more games

Riverbend hasn't had much luck against Massaponax recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Riverbend Bears will host the Massaponax Panthers at 6:30 p.m. Riverbend is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.3 points per game this season.

Last Thursday, Riverbend strolled past Brooke Point with points to spare, taking the game 64-48. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 130th, while the Black Hawks are ranked 321st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Riverbend's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Mikenzi Via, who went 7 for 8 on her way to 16 points and seven boards. Thanks to that strong game, Via now owns an excellent 46.5% field goal percentage. Nyah Barnwell was another key player, going 6 of 8 en route to 14 points and eight rebounds.

Riverbend smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Massaponax waltzed into their contest on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Indians 36-33. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since December 30, 2024.

Massaponax's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-10. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.7 points over those games. As for Riverbend, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-7 record this season.

Riverbend skirted past Massaponax 51-48 in their previous matchup back in January. Will Riverbend repeat their success, or does Massaponax have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.