The Riverside Cyclones traveled to Seneca on Thursday, February 3 to take on the Nemaha Central Middle School boys basketball team. All of the Nemaha Central teams except the eighth-grade B-team remain undefeated going into Thursday’s matchup.
The eighth-grade A-game got off to a fiery start with both teams trading baskets throughout the opening quarter. The quarter ended with a score of 9-8 NC. The second quarter was more of the same as the ball continually found itself inside the hoop. At the end of the half, the score was 19-16 Thunder still on top.
In the new quarter after the half, the Thunder managed to outscore the Cyclones 10-6 leaving the score 29-22 going into the final quarter of the game. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder held off the Cyclone’s desperate attack, allowing seven points while scoring five of their own. The final score was 34-29 with the Thunder remaining undefeated.
Sebastian Randall said, “The boys came out and did what had to be done, they played good but there’s always room for improvement.”
Riverside came out firing on all cylinders to start the eighth-grade B-game. The Cyclones outscored NC 13-6 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Riverside stayed aggressive and scored 14 more points while allowing NC only 7. At the end of the half, the Cyclones were up 27-13.
In the third quarter, Riverside again outscored the Thunder 10-8. The score heading into the last quarter was 37-21 Cyclones. The Thunder finally stopped the Cyclone onslaught in the fourth quarter. NC held Riverside scoreless and put up 4 of their own points, but it wasn't enough to claim the win. The Thunder team fell to the Cyclones with a final score of 37-21.
NC came out red hot in the first quarter of the seventh grade A-game and outscored the Cyclones 12-6. The second quarter bestowed a similar result with the Thunder scoring 14 while allowing the Cyclones only 7. The score at the end of the opening half was 26-13 Thunder.
During the third quarter, the Cyclones and Thunder traded baskets throughout. The Thunder scored 10 points and the Cyclones scored 9 in the third quarter, leaving the score 36-22 NC. Again, the Thunder dominated the Cyclones on the defensive end, only allowing 3 points while scoring 5 points of their own. The NC seventh grade A-team won 42-25 to keep their winning streak alive.
Similar to the A-game the seventh grade B-game started off just about the same. The Thunder scored 9 points while only giving up 4 in the first quarter. The second quarter was much tighter, NC only scored 6 points while Riverside scored 5. The score after the conclusion of the first half had NC on top 15-9.
In the third quarter, the Cyclones began to inch their way back into the game scoring 5 points, while the Thunder only scored 4 points. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Cyclones were trailing the Thunder 19 to 14. Riverside made a heroic attempt to come back in the fourth quarter but fell short, losing to the Thunder 26-23.
Graham Korber said, “Have fun and you can win.”
The Thunder boys won three out of their four games. Both the A teams and the seventh-grade B-team remain undefeated on the season. With only a few weeks left of the season, the Thunder hope to close out the season with all wins.
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