The Lady Knights had a historic season no matter what the outcome was on the night of February 18th. With a loss to Hesperia Christian 38-24 the Knights looked as if they were playing nervous and hadn’t ever played in a game of this magnitude. The Lady Knights scored their first two points off of free throws and didn’t earn their first field goal until mid-way through the second quarter. They had a lot to live up to; history however, can never be taken away from them as they were the first team ever to compete in a CIF playoff game representing Riverside Preparatory. Vanessa Keys earned a double-double with eleven points and sixteen rebounds. Tiara Rolland was a machine inside all year for the Lady Knights as she would finish up the game with sixteen rebounds. Breena Ladao finished up her career as a Knight with four points and two steals. The senior leadership she offered throughout her time spent on the team will be missed and she left the gym after her final high school game with her head held high. Hesperia Christian was the Agape League champions and were ranked at the number 6 seed going into the playoffs. Coach Ronnie of the Knights said after the game, “This is our first season (in CIF) and we have set an excellent foundation for success. I have no doubt that we will be back even stronger next season. I am so proud of my girls and want to congratulate them on a great accomplishment.” With only one senior on the team coach Ronnie has all of his main players returning. The Lady Knights finished of the great season with a 17-5 record and hope to improve and go even further next year. “The sky is the limit for this team,” Ronnie said when I spoke to him last Thursday. After they went 1-2 in their first three games of the season the ladies fought through nagging injuries, a season ending injury to Marinna Jacques, and ended up going on a run at one point holding a 14 game winning streak. They never gave up and always played hard until the final buzzer. The team played together with emotion and determination and as young as they are, they still have two to three more years to play and improve talent wise as a team. Coach Ronnie Hillary has created a steady basketball program that has the chance to compete more and more for the up and coming years. The school will only get bigger and better as plans to open a larger campus for the 2010-2011 school year is already in the works. Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Lady Silver Knights on their accomplishments in competing in the CIF playoffs for the first time in the school’s history, it was well deserved and much earned.
Written by: Ryan Libby RPSN
This game was intense from the moment of tip-off. After the Knights defeated University Prep by twenty in the last meeting on January 27th tonight was just a bit different. It was as if the Jaguars practiced just to give Riverside Prep a good game and that is exactly what the fans received. Ears are still ringing from the noise that the crowd brought to gym as the game was back and forth with each team not willing to give an inch. It looked as if the Knights had the game under control after the first quarter when they led 7-4. But the Jaguars would even out the scoring when they outscored Riverside Prep 11-5 in the third. Rebounding wasn’t a problem for the Knights as they finished with a team total of forty-four, but in some cases it was the second chance opportunities that they didn’t capitalize on that kept University Prep in the game. With just minutes remaining, and University Prep in the bonus it was time for the Lady Knights to step it up at the free throw line. Free Throws seem to be what has given them the most trouble this season and it was a big part in the loss to Joshua Springs dating back to January 28th. Tonight was to be a good night for them at the stripe as they were able to hit enough free throws to edge them by and keep their momentum. Toni Carmona would be called upon to hit one of the biggest free throws of the game. After being beaten and bruised she mustered up the strength to sink the first one giving the Knights the lead with just 6.3 seconds left on the clock. The crowd would remain silent as the second free throw hit the front of the rim, but Vanessa Keys was alert enough to grab the rebound as she took another shot which also missed and the ball landed in the Jaguars paws with 2.2 seconds left on the game clock as they got the timeout called. It was all left upon the inbound pass, and a nearly impossible task was set upon the Jaguars as they would have to drive the length on the court if they wanted to score the game winning bucket. In desperation they threw the ball away as it slipped right through the hands of their player and rolled out of bounds. The Knights would raise their hands in relief as they won the game 26-25. This was the first one point nail biter since Breena Ladao sunk the game winning three in the second game of the season which occurred on December 3rd. Toni Carmona would finish with six points and what would turn out to be the game winning free throw. Tiffany almost had another double-double, but she came up one basket short finishing a great night with nine points and sixteen rebounds. The Lady Knights are playoff bound and want to end the season with a four game winning streak as they square up against Citrus in what will be the season finale on February 12th.
Written by: Ryan Libby RPSN
Follow theLady Knights at www.Maxpreps.com where you can recieve sceduals, stats and much more.
With a sweep of the Ace Eagles going 2 for 2 on the series, this game was no different from the last time they faced each other. The Lady Knights went on a tear scoring seventeen un-answered points to put them ahead 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. As it turned out the final score was much worse as the Knights would only allow thirteen points on the night as they won easily 54-13. Now the ladies sit comfortably with a 15-3 record and yet they remain focused on the goal of finishing the season well as not one hint of playoff talk has left the locker room. Tiffany Carmona would have a great night ending with a double-double scoring sixteen and grabbing ten boards. Anne-Marie Diaz showed why she deserved more playing time scoring eight and she didn’t want to stop there as she was content on fighting hard the whole game. As the weeks have gone on during the season ball movement has much improved and that seems to be another big asset to their offensive ability adding extra help with the seemingly endless forte of rebounds they get per game. If those two keys can continue they will have a shot at competing well in the playoffs. They are making a run for history of being Riverside Prep’s first girl’s basketball team to make the playoffs. The Lady Knights also hope to sweep their bitter rivals University Prep as the D Street Rivalry is renewed on Wednesday February 10th.
Written by: Ryan Libby RPSN
Follow the Lady Knights at www.Maxpreps.com where you can receive schedules, stats and much more.
