Having just played yesterday, the Gateway Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Riverdale Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gateway will be strutting in after a win while Riverdale will be coming in after a loss.
On Thursday, Gateway escaped with a win against Dunbar by the margin of a single free throw, 53-52. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Meanwhile, Riverdale was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat dating back to last season. They were dealt a 92-33 loss at the hands of Lehigh. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 668th, while the Lightning are ranked 179th).
Gateway will need focus on slowing down Malachii Russ, one of several Riverdale players who made an impact when they last played. He posted nine points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rayshaun Lindor, who had nine points.
Gateway pushed their record up to 4-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.8 points per game. As for Riverdale, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.
Everything came up roses for Gateway against Riverdale in their previous matchup back in January of 2022, as the squad secured an 83-39 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gateway since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
