Independence is 1-6 against the Ram since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. Independence will head out on the road to square off against the Riverside Ram at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Independence earned a 69-60 victory over the Bulldogs. The win was all the more spectacular given Independence's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 229th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 89th).
Dominic Mason was a one-man wrecking crew for Independence as he scored 14 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of JJ Johnson, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, everything went Riverside's way against the Bolts on Friday as the Ram made off with a 72-50 victory. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Riverside just coasted through the last quarter.
Riverside's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Max Lawson, who scored 11 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Brady Peterson, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds.
The victory makes it two in a row for Independence and bumps their season record up to 8-11. As for Riverside, they pushed their record up to 12-9 with that victory, which was their third straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Independence have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Riverside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Independence came up short against the Ram in their previous meeting on Monday, falling 67-55. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Riverside's Mason Ridgeway, who scored 18 points along with four steals. Now that Independence knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
