River Bluff had lost four straight, but after bumping their record up to 2-15 on Tuesday that streak is in the rearview. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 61-59 victory over the Irmo Yellow Jackets. The win was all the more spectacular given the Gators' disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 203rd, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 36th).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead River Bluff to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ford Stratton, who shot 55% from the field on his way to 16 points. Stratton is on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Alex Kirylo, who almost dropped a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Gators
| 01/13/26 vs Irmo | 17 |
| 01/09/26 @ White Knoll | 7 |
| 01/07/26 @ Nation Ford | 5 |
| 01/02/26 vs Nation Ford | 12 |
| 12/30/25 vs Strom Thurmond | 8 |
| + 23 more games |
River Bluff was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2025.
As for Irmo, their loss dropped their record down to 12-4. They have struggled against River Bluff recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Khiry White and Christian Brown certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. White went 6-for-9 to rack up 14 points and five boards, while Brown shot 46% from the field en route to 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Oshon Browman, who went 5-for-6 on his way to 11 points.
River Bluff didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 73-61 defeat against Chapin on the 16th. As for Irmo, they have also already played their next matchup, a 48-46 victory against White Knoll on the 16th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps