Riverside comes up short vs. Ridge View in state championship game

Julen Iturbe led Riverside with 12 points in a 58-52 loss to Ridge View in the Class 4-A state championship game.

Beating the top-ranked team in the state isn’t easy. It’s even harder when that team is up by 12 before the first quarter is halfway over.

Riverside fell to Ridge View, 58-52, in the Class 4-A state championship game on Saturday night at the Florence Center in Florence. The Warriors let the Blazers jump to a 14-2 advantage just four minutes into the game. They couldn’t overcome the deficit at any point in the game. The closest they cut it was three points.

“We lost the game right there at the start,” said Riverside head coach Allen Arnold. “We spotted them 12 points to start the game. When you get down like that and have to battle back, that’s what kills you.”

Despite going down early, the Warriors cut the deficit to three points on three separate occasions, including twice in the game’s final two minutes. But for everything Riverside put in, Ridge View seemed to have an answer. The Warriors never gained the lead.

“Every time I felt like we had a little something going, they’d do something and keep us back,” said Arnold. “They’d hit a three. They’d get an offensive rebound and a putback. We just couldn’t close the gap.

“I’m proud of our guys though, because to be fair, they kept digging and digging. They made a game of it down the stretch.”

Sebi Boyogueno put in a good shift for the Warriors with 10 points off the bench while Julen Iturbe led Riverside in scoring with 12. After the game, Iturbe—one of Riverside’s seniors—was noticeably upset.

“It’s emotional,” said Arnold. “He knew in that moment that he’d never play again for us. That’s hard to process. That’s not easy for any of our seniors. I told them to stay in the locker room for as long as they needed to get it all out, and then to walk out with their heads held high for all they accomplished this season.”

Riverside finishes the year with a 26-5 mark—it’s best record in over 20 years. The Warriors brought home a region title and upper state championship and hung with South Carolina’s highest-ranked team in the 4-A state championship.

By all accounts, Arnold says, it’s a season to be proud of no matter Saturday’s result.

“How can you not be proud of them? We battled all year long through injuries and adversity. It says a lot about these kids and what they’re made of.

“You just don’t realize yet that’s truly over. It will sink in next week when we realize we don’t have practice. We don’t have any teams to prepare for, any work to do. That’s when it’s going to hurt.”

THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Ridge View 20 12 13 13 - 58
Riverside 10 16 13 13 - 52

RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Julen Iturbe - 12 points
Drew Cannon - 11 points
Sebi Boyogueno - 10 points
Mikkel Skinner - 6 points
Jack Sauer - 6 points