Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Nicholas Mortimer and Max Persichetti Lead River Valley to Victory

There's no place like home for River Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They ended the year with a bang, routing the Leechburg Blue Devils 63-37 on Friday. That 26 point margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.

Leading River Valley to victory were Max Persichetti and Nicholas Mortimer. Persichetti almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine boards, while Mortimer went 6 of 11 on his way to 14 points and eight rebounds. Persichetti's afternoon made it eight games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points.

River Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Leechburg only posted four assists.

Leechburg's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mason Bertino, who posted ten points and six boards. Those ten points gave Bertino a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Rollinger, who had seven points and ten rebounds.

River Valley's win bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Leechburg, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-8.

River Valley wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 76-51 defeat against Summit Academy on the 28th. As for Leechburg, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 57-39 loss against Apollo Ridge on the 28th.