Shutdown second half sees Riverside roll Westside
Julen Iturbe secured a double-double against Westside, leading the Warriors to a 57-47 second-round win.
With a 57-47 win over Westside on Saturday night, Riverside clinched a trip to the upper state semifinals for the first time since 2021.
Senior Julen Iturbe led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds. His size and versatility proved too much for the Rams to handle.
“Julen put us on his back for a stretch there,” said Riverside head coach Allen Arnold. “He was grabbing rebounds and getting buckets, just doing Julen things. We needed him tonight.”
With Westside pressing the issue near the end of the second half, the Rams managed to head to the locker rooms down just 31-29 to the Warriors. But Iturbe and Sebi Boyogueno—who got the start in place of the injured Reeves Garner—combined to help Riverside start the second half on an 8-2 run.
Westside didn’t cut the deficit to less than six points again. Riverside shut the Rams down on defense to seal the 10-point win.
“In the first half, they tried to speed things up and play at their fast tempo,” said Iturbe. “At halftime, we talked about it and fixed it up. I think we held them to five points total in the third quarter.”
Riverside limited Westside to just 18 points in the second half.
“We’ve prided ourselves on playing good defense all season,” said Arnold. “The first half wasn’t great, but I thought we did a much better job in the second half. It really wasn’t as much of us making adjustments as it was just doing what we already know how to do.”
Riverside survives and advances. It will only get harder from here on out—they’re fully aware.
“It’s not going to be easy. Every game in the playoffs is tough,” said Iturbe. “But the teams that make it the furthest are the teams that are deepest and the most well-coached.”
“These games take years off my life, I know that,” said Arnold, laughing. “I’m getting gray-headed because of it. But I’m just thankful that we’ve got at least four or five more days with these guys.”
The Warriors will use those coming days to prepare for a matchup against Catawba Ridge in the upper-state semifinals.
The Copperheads come in ranked No. 1 in Class 4-A. They boast a 24-3 record.
“Catawba Ridge is a very disciplined team. They do what they do well,” said Arnold. “It’s going to be a matter of whoever can hold their will and execute. It’s going to be a very good ballgame.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Westside 9 20 5 13 - 47
Riverside 15 16 12 14 - 57
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Drew Cannon - 16 points, 3 rebounds
Julen Iturbe - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
Sebi Boyogueno - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Jack Sauer - 9 points, 5 rebounds