Undermanned Riverside topples Powdersville at MLK Day Showcase
Julen Iturbe had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Riverside past Powdersville on Monday. Despite being without two starters, the Warriors found a way to pull through.
Despite missing two starters and having two star players freshly recovered from illness, Riverside found a way to get the job done.
The Warriors (15-3) took down Powdersville (15-4) on Monday at Greenville High School’s MLK Showcase, 55-48.
“Sometimes, guys just have to step up when their name’s called,” said Riverside head coach Allen Arnold. “We’ve been preaching that all year. We don’t like making excuses.”
The Warriors were without key pieces Mikkel Skinner and Rylan Jones due to injury. Guard Drew Cannon played while still coming back up from a bad case of food poisoning. Star forward Julen Iturbe hadn’t practiced all week ahead of Monday’s game as he recovered from the flu.
None of that mattered.
It was “next man up” for Riverside, as the Warriors concocted one of their most fundamentally impressive performances of the season to hand 3-A 4th-ranked Powdersville a rare loss.
“We’ve had guys stepping up for us all season,” said Iturbe after the game. “When Rylan [Jones] went down with his injury, Jack [Sauer] came in and stepped into the point guard position for us. We’ve got guys off the bench playing bigger roles now, too. Every practice, Coach [Arnold] emphasizes that mentality of just being ready.”
Iturbe finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Drew Cannon led all scorers with 17 points.
Sebi Boyogueno continued an impressive run of performances with eight points. Reeves Garner shot the ball well from deep. Jack Sauer facilitated the Warrior offense to near perfection at point guard.
“I think this win says a lot about the culture we’ve established here with this team,” said Arnold. “The players buy into everything we do. We’ve obviously got one of the best players in the state here in Julen, but everyone on the roster can come in and contribute. That’s sort of our thing.”
One of the game’s pervading storylines was the matchup between Iturbe — who committed to American University in October — and Powdersville forward Hayden Assemian, a South Carolina commit.
Iturbe won the battle of respective stars.
The 6-foot-7 senior hit several pull-up three-pointers off the dribble, frustrated Assemian with outstanding paint defense, and dominated the glass. Iturbe made nearly all the right passes, as well, getting teammates open looks when he was double-teamed.
“I knew coming in [Assemian] was going to play tough. I’ve played with him since eighth grade. He’s a great player who can do it all,” said Iturbe. “I figured I was going to get some work from him today, but I just did my best to make sure that it wasn’t too much.”
Even undermanned, the Warriors found a way to take down one of the best — and biggest — teams in the state in Powdersville. Every time the Patriots tried clawing back late, the Warriors had an answer.
It’s a good sign, Arnold says, as competition heats up and the stakes increase.
“We practice situations like that all the time. We know teams are going to make runs on us,” said Arnold. “We just have to remain calm in those situations. In region play, teams like Eastside and Greer, they aren’t just going to go away.
“When you get down to the big moments, we’ve got to stay calm and be mature. Just dig down and keep doing what we do best.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Powdersville
14 13 10 10 - 47
Riverside
15 21 7 12 - 55
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Drew Cannon - 17 points
Julen Iturbe - 14 points
Sebi Boyogueno - 8 points
Reeves Garner - 7 points
Jack Sauer - 5 points