The North Fort Myers Red Knights's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their eighth straight loss. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 68-67 to Riverdale. North Fort Myers was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Raiders apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in January of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why North Fort Myers lost, one person who can't be blamed is Isaiah Newson. Despite the final result, he scored 30 points along with three steals. That was a full 44.8% of North Fort Myers' points, marking the seventh time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Alberto Riviera was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
North Fort Myers struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Riverdale racked up 14 assists.
Riverdale's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Juan Ortiz, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and six steals. Ortiz is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Konnor Vonhagen, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
North Fort Myers has not been sharp recently as the team's lost nine of their last 12 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season. As for Riverdale, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-9.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. North Fort Myers will face off against the Gators at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Florida (Island Coast is ranked 539th, while the Red Knights are ranked 552nd). As for Riverdale, they will head out on the road to take on the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Dunbar focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up nine on Wednesday.
