Even though the Piedmont Panthers scored an imposing 68 points on Wednesday, the Rocky River Ravens still came out on top. Rocky River snuck past Piedmont with a 74-68 win. The score was all tied up 33-33 at the break, but Rocky River was the better team in the second half.
Rocky River's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Shamari Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. Johnson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Markiest Houston, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Despite the loss, Piedmont still got an impressive performance from Miles Leaks, who scored 24 points. Leaks scored a full 35.3% of Piedmont's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryan Little, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds.
Rocky River's victory bumped their record up to 4-6. As for Piedmont, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rocky River will challenge Charlotte Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Charlotte Catholic's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Rocky River has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road. As for Piedmont, they will take on Harding University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Harding University is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 54.7 points per game.
