BY CHAD KEAN, Examiner Contributor
The Riverside Lady Pirates will open tournament play Saturday afternoon, Feb. 21, with a challenging matchup against the Fairlawn Lady Jets.
Riverside enters the contest as the No. 13 seed after finishing the regular season 4–18, while Fairlawn comes in as the No. 9 seed with a 10–12 record. The teams met twice during the regular season, with the Lady Jets winning both matchups by margins of 15 points or more.
Fairlawn’s success against Riverside this season stemmed from balanced scoring and steady production across all four quarters. The Lady Jets scored at least 50 points in both wins, using consistency and depth to control the tempo.
The Lady Pirates will look to counter that with leadership from junior Madelyn Lemly, who averages 9.9 points per game. Fellow junior Kenna Johnson follows closely at 7.1 points per contest, and Riverside will rely heavily on the duo to keep pace offensively.
For Riverside to pull off the upset, the Pirates will need to take care of the basketball, limit Fairlawn’s scoring runs, and hope for an off shooting night from the Lady Jets. Lemly’s ability to catch fire from beyond the three-point arc could be a key factor in keeping the game within reach.
With postseason stakes on the line, Riverside enters with an underdog mindset and a chance to rewrite the script against a familiar opponent.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Versailles High School.
