The Perfect Birthday Present: Garrido, Riverside dim Blue Flame to advance
For Madison Garrido, revenge is a dish best served cold.
And on this occasion, perhaps with a side of birthday cake.
On Garrido’s 17th birthday and in front of an energetic Riverside crowd, the junior point guard led her Lady Warriors to a 63-56 win over Pickens in the second round of the Class 4-A playoffs. She scored 16 points in the victory.
A stark difference from last season, where Garrido and Riverside fell to Pickens in the same round by 30 points.
“They beat us last year, so we wanted to come back and try to get our revenge,” said Garrido. “We really wanted this win.”
After the game, Riverside fans and friends sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Garrido as she walked off the court. She blushed, smiled, and waved.
“That was such a great feeling,” said Garrido. “So many of my friends and family members were out here watching me tonight, and it means the world. Especially on a day like today.”
It was the perfect birthday present for Garrido.
She was eclipsed in scoring only by sophomore shooting guard Kyndal Haroski, who became Riverside’s all-time leading scorer last week. Haroski had 24 points.
“Ever since I found out we’d play Pickens again, I’ve been mentally preparing myself,” said Haroski. “I knew we were going to win. We were not going to take another loss to them like last year.”
Riverside head coach Brianne Jones said the contrast between this year and last boils down to each of her player’s hard work.
“Each of these girls have grown so much individually this year,” Jones said. “Look at Madison, for example. Last year, Madison only contributed a few points against [Pickens]. But she worked hard and grinded it out during the summer, and now she’s in here being a leader on the court.”
Riverside didn’t trail for even a second of Friday night’s contest. With the wire-to-wire win, the Lady Warriors advance to the upper state semifinals on Wednesday against South Pointe.
The Stallions are the No. 1 ranked 4-A team, boasting an impeccable 26-2 record.
The Lady Warriors’ work is cut out for them.
“We’re going to need everybody to come out and be loud on Wednesday night,” said Jones. “We know [South Pointe] is a great team.
“But we’re a pretty great team, too.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Pickens 8 19 15 14 - 56
Riverside 24 14 15 10 - 63
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Kyndal Haroski - 24 points
Madison Garrdio - 16 points
Elly Trickett - 10 points
Sophia Powell - 4 points
Aylissa Pelzer - 4 points
Tamel Fowler - 3 points
Miah Johnson - 2 points