Sweet & Sauer: Two-last second shots send Riverside to upper state
Jack Sauer’s two late three-pointers saved Riverside in a 63-61 upper state semifinal win over Catawba Ridge.
Feb. 22, 2024—that might be a day Jack Sauer remembers for a long time.
Riverside’s senior guard hit not one but two game-tying three-pointers before the buzzer to keep Riverside alive against Catawba Ridge in the Class 4-A upper-state semifinals. The Warriors won 63-61 in double overtime.
“That’s the best moment of my career, for sure,” said Sauer. “Nothing else comes close. There’s Thursday night, and then there’s a huge gap between that and everything else. It was incredible.”
With Riverside down by three near the end of regulation, Sebi Boyogueno collected an offensive rebound and kicked it to Sauer, who was waiting on the left wing. No hesitation from Sauer. He pulled up and drilled the three to send the game to overtime.
“My credit goes to my teammates on that one. They set me up perfectly,” said Sauer. “Sebi did a great job coming down with the rebound and finding me.”
But Sauer wasn’t done. In overtime, the Warriors again trailed by three with 4.1 seconds to go. Sauer caught the inbounds pass from Julen Iturbe—who led all scorers with 25—and raced down the floor. He cut past a defender at midcourt.
From 30 feet away, Sauer pulled up. He heaved a prayer toward the net.
“I thought it was going too long. It didn’t feel amazing when it left my hand,” said Sauer.
It didn’t matter. Sauer’s shot hit off the backboard and dropped straight through the net. Sauer had sent the game to a second overtime. His teammates mobbed him.
“God was definitely on my side with that one,” said Sauer, smiling.
“I’m proud of Jack. I’m happy for that kid,” said Riverside head coach Allen Arnold. “Those two shots in such a big moment, he’ll take that with him for a long, long time. That’s what high school sports is all about.”
Riverside students rush the floor and celebrate with star senior Julen Iturbe after the win. Iturbe scored 25 points and collected nine rebounds in the double-overtime victory.
Sauer stepped into the role as starting point guard following an early-season injury to Rylan Jones. Thursday night’s game, Arnold said, was a testament to the work Sauer has put in and the improvement he’s shown.
“Jack has seriously stepped up for us this season. We’ve asked a good bit of him,” said Arnold. “He’s playing about 28 minutes a game and has filled Rylan’s spot well. He’s enjoyed getting this opportunity, and we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
“It was horrible to see [Rylan] get hurt, and it was difficult learning to play his [point guard] position,” said Sauer. “But I think seeing him go down sparked something in us, something that made us want to go all out for him to win region and even state.”
The Warriors have already checked the region title off the list. They’ll get the opportunity to make their state aspirations come true, too.
The next team standing in their way happens to be Riverside’s biggest rival—Greer.
The two teams will face off for the third time this season in the Class 4-A upper-state championship. Riverside won the first two meetings.
“We felt like if we took care of our business, there was a good chance we’d see [Greer] in this game,” said Arnold. “I told the team that in the locker room after we beat them at Greer. This is no surprise to any of us.
“This is do or die. They’re going to bring their best and we’re going to bring ours. It should be a really good game down to the end.”
Riverside and Greer will tip off on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. at the Florence Center. The winner will earn the right to play in the Class 4-A state championship.
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Catawba Ridge
19 7 11 9 9 2 - 61
Riverside
15 15 11 9 9 4 - 63
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Julen Iturbe - 25 points, 9 rebounds
Jack Sauer - 11 points, 3 assists
Sebi Boyogueno - 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Mikkel Skinner - 8 points, 10 rebounds