Riverside competitive at Wrangler Invite

The Riverside Lady Rebels traveled to the Shoshoni Tournament last weekend, facing tough competition against Saratoga, Little Snake River, and the host Lady Blue. Despite some challenges, the team showed great heart and competitiveness in all three games.

The weekend got off to a difficult start on Friday morning when one of our senior starters was unable to play and had to sit out for the remainder of the tournament. Down a key piece of the lineup, the girls stepped up and played a strong, competitive game against Saratoga, but ultimately fell just short in a 42-46 decision. 

On Saturday afternoon, the Lady Rebels took on one of the top teams in 1A, Little Snake River. They battled throughout but came up on the wrong end of a 56-50 score. Johnna Clifford led the scoring with 21 points, while Brooklynn Paxton contributed 14. Freshman Cachelynn Forshee had her best scoring outing of the season with nine points, and fellow freshman Hadley Hopkin earned her first career start, providing timely rebounds and key defensive stops.

After just a 1½-hour break, the team returned to the court to face the homestanding Lady Blue in the tournament final. In another hard-fought battle, the Lady Rebels dropped a 55-46 decision. The final score didn’t fully reflect how close the game truly was, as Riverside simply ran out of gas late—especially after Brooklynn Paxton fouled out in the fourth quarter. Paxton led the team with 20 points, followed closely by Johnna Clifford with 18 and Hadley Hopkin with six. Coach Mark Hamilton was extremely proud of the effort the girls displayed, noting that they truly left everything on the court.

“The Lady Rebels held leads heading into the fourth quarter in all three games but were unable to close them out. They generated plenty of good shots throughout the weekend but struggled to convert at times and had difficulty at the free-throw line. Heading into Christmas break, the team will enjoy a well-deserved week off before returning to practice to prepare for our home openers the first weekend of January. As a coach, I’m very encouraged by the effort and work ethic the girls are showing. We’re getting good looks and drawing fouls to get to the line—which is a big positive as we continue to build and improve. Great job, Lady Rebels!”

Riverside 12   13   13   4    42 

Saratoga   10   9   14   13   46 

RIVERSIDE — Hadley Hopkin: 1-0 1-1  3, Brooklynn Paxton: 7-0 9-6  20, Johnna Clifford: 2-1  6-3  10, Belle Starbuck: 1-1 0-0  5, Cachelynn Forshee: 2-0  0-0  4 

Riverside  13   14   6   17   50 

LSRV           14   16   10  14   56 

RIVERSIDE — Hopkin: 2-0  0-0  4, Addie Owen: 1-0  0-0  2, Paxton: 5-0  5-4  14, Clifford: 7-0  14-7  21, Forshee: 3-1  0-0 9   

Riverside   14   11   14   7     46

Shoshoni    8    15   13   19   55

RIVERSIDE — Paxton: 9-0 2-2 20, Clifford: 5-0 8-8  18, Starbuck: 1-0 0-0 2, Hopkin: 2-0  2-2  6