There's no place like home for the Riverbend Bears, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Wednesday. They walked away with a 54-46 victory over North Stafford on Friday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Riverbend also won the last time the pair played two weeks ago.
Riverbend's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hannah Alexander led the charge by scoring 14 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. Another player making a difference was Charlotte Mullinax, who scored 14 points along with four steals.
Riverbend's lineup was just a bit different on Friday as Saniya Durham got a bit more time on the court (29 vs. her season average of 14.25). Durham made the most of the opportunity, scoring seven points along with six assists and five rebounds. A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.
North Stafford's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Destinee Salgado, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. That was a full 45.7% of North Stafford's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Daysha Salgado was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Riverbend pushed their record up to 15-5 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for North Stafford, their loss dropped their record down to 14-10.
Riverbend will head out on the road to square off against Massaponax at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Massaponax will roll in looking for their 12th straight victory, something Riverbend surely won't give up without a fight. As for North Stafford, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Brooke Point at 5:00 p.m. North Stafford has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
