District losing skid continues for WC hoops

Riverdale?s Kevin Smith slams home two of his 20 points during Friday night?s game in Murfreesboro.

Facing the state?s ninth-ranked squad on its home floor Friday, the Pioneers had trouble keeping the Warriors off the boards, and struggled to find an answer for guard Kevin Smith, who scored 20 points on the way to a 60-40 Riverdale win.

With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 3-15 on the year and remained winless in District 7-AAA at 0-10. Riverdale upped its record to 21-4, and improved to 8-2 in the league standings.

A 10-2 scoring run near the end of the first quarter helped the Warriors take command early, and although Josh Moore opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer for the Pioneers, Riverdale continued to build upon its lead, taking a 33-20 edge into the halftime intermission.

Chris Weitzel, who led the Pioneers with a 14-point night, found success in the paint with six points in the second and six more in the third quarter. But the Pioneers were unable to trim their deficit to single digits, trailing by as many as 19 (49-30) by the end of the fourth quarter and getting no closer than 14 down the stretch.

Donta Weir added 11 to the Pioneers? cause, while Moore had nine and Ryan Daniel scored four points.

For Riverdale, Michael Young turned in a 16-point night, including six in the final period. E.J. Wilcox had seven, while Tanner Gore added six points.