Playoff Roundup: Riverside vs Catawba Ridge & Wren vs Blue Ridge

<!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Performances:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1341455' first='Abijah' last='Franklin'] - 33 Points, 13 Rebounds, and 4 Steals on 5-9 3FG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1543950' first='Brock' last='Cherry'] - 10 Points and 7 Assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1826853' first='Jeremiah' last='Campbell'] - 11 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2630158' first='Paul' last='Bishop']</strong> - 17 Points and 8 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1172765' first='Julen' last='Iturbe'] - 25 Points and 11 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mikkel Skinner</strong> - 10 Points and 12 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jack Sauer</strong> - 11 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1168159' first='Zyan' last='Hager'] - 23 Points on 6-10 3FG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1621536' first='Lance' last='Barnes'] - 13 Points, 10 Assists, and 5 Steals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hurricanes Storm Away From Tigers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending 3A State Champions, Wren, faced off with Blue Ridge on Wednesday night for the right to play in the Upper State Championship. The Tigers, who started 1-10 before going on a huge run through Region Play and into the Playoffs, actually had a solid open to the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2630158' first='Paul' last='Bishop']</strong> and <strong>Trey Bradley</strong> knocked down some shots early, but the 3A State Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='1341455' first='Abijah' last='Franklin'] was just in the zone. He had 17 points to Blue Ridge's 16, converting on 7 of his 9 field goal attempts in the first quarter alone. Wren's stellar offense continued into the 2nd Quarter, but Blue Ridge's slowed down significantly. The Hurricanes went on a 14-2 run to start the quarter getting solid production from role players like Titus Sessions and Ethan Sistrunk. The latter was inserted into the starting lineup for an injured [player_tooltip player_id='1541103' first='Rhett' last='Warga'] and had a strong 4 points and 6 rebounds. The Tigers' second made field goal of the quarter came on their final possession, and Wren took a 15-point lead into the locker room. Franklin started to take over again in the 3rd Quarter, hitting a couple of threes and finishing in transition. The Hurricanes' defense was so effective because of its length and positioning. They were running a 1-3-1 zone, almost exclusively, that extended far enough to cover most of the halfcourt. They also did a good job of taking [player_tooltip player_id='2313587' first='Nash' last='Somero'], 3A All-State and Region 1 Player of the Year, completely out of the game. Wren would go on to win comfortably, earning their second trip to the Upper State Championship in as many years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riverside Top Catawba Ridge in Double Overtime Thriller</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An Instant Classic and Potential Game of the Year was played at Riverside High School on Thursday Night as the Warriors hosted Catawba Ridge in Round 3 of the Class 4A State Playoffs. Both teams started on fire from behind the arc, particularly [player_tooltip player_id='1172765' first='Julen' last='Iturbe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1168159' first='Zyan' last='Hager'], who each hit multiple 3s in the opening period including one at the buzzer from Iturbe to give him 9 first-quarter points. Catawba Ridge had a lot of early success due to the facilitation of [player_tooltip player_id='1621536' first='Lance' last='Barnes'], but Riverside hung tight with consistent perimeter shooting. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2367673' first='Sebi' last='Boyogueno']</strong> was extremely bright off the Riverside bench, putting up 6 points in the first half including a thunderous one-handed slam off a great open floor read to give the Warriors a four-point halftime lead. The Catawba Ridge offense leaned heavily on elevator sets in the third quarter, as Barnes found [player_tooltip player_id='1168159' first='Zyan' last='Hager'] three separate times for a massive boost to the Copperhead efforts. Going down the stretch, Riverside found themselves down three with the ball when Boyogueno grabbed a long offensive rebound and kicked it to <strong>Jack Sauer</strong> who hit a game-tying 3 with 10 seconds left. Sauer also blocked a potential game-winning shot on the other end, sending the game to overtime. Both teams traded free throws in the first overtime, and again, the Warriors were down three when Sauer banked in a 35-footer as time expired to send us to a second overtime. Riverside went to a version of the four corners offensive in the next period and got away with missed free throws due to two crucial offensive rebounds from <strong>Mikkel Skinner</strong>. Boyogueno hit one of his two attempts from the line with 20 seconds remaining in second overtime, and Catawba Ridge couldn't get off a clean look on the offensive end sending the Warriors to the Upper State Championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What's Next:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Wren and Riverside will face a region foe - that the swept in the Regular Season - in the Upper State Championship Game next week. The Hurricanes play Powdersville on Tuesday the 27th, and the Warriors will battle with Greer on Wednesday the 28th, both matchups at the Florence Civic Center. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->