The Rider Raiders fought the good fight in their overtime match against the Joshua Owls on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Owls by a score of 62-59. Rider was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Joshua apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2022.
When it comes to explaining why Rider lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gavin Aday. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points along with six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Caiden Reed, who scored ten points.
Even though they lost, Rider were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Rider has been struggling recently, as they've lost 11 of their last 13 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for Joshua, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-8.
Rider will finish 2023 at home by hosting Paschal at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Paschal and three for Rider. As for Joshua, they will head out on the road to face off against Cleburne at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cleburne is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
