By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Riverside fell to an elite foe Friday but rebounded Monday night to defeat a local rival convincingly.

The Rebels dropped a non-district contest at Salmen, 71-67, in a game in which the Class 2A’s top ranked team fell behind by as many 15 points but closed to within two late before falling short. But on Monday, Riverside left no doubt as to its eventual check in the win column, topping St., Charles 94-54 in the District 9-2A opener for both teams.

Against Salmen, Ricardo Gathers led the Rebels with 22 points. Donald Thomas scored 16 and Lucas Martin scored 11.

But the Spartans’ T.J. Price led all scorers with 33, the final two coming at the foul line in the game’s late stages to seal the victory.

Salmen (20-3) hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping them establish a lead.

That perimeter shooting prowess was Riverside coach Timmy Byrd’s prime concern entering the contest.

“We came out flat. Our plan was to take away the three and we allowed them to hit five in a row off the bat,” said Byrd. “They’re a good, balanced team but their specialty is that they can really shoot the ball. We fell behind quickly. Our intensity picked up from the second quarter on, but I’d have liked to see us come out with that kind of play from the beginning, especially against such a good team.”

Salmen led 58-44 entering the final four minutes of play but Riverside pressed its way back into the game and a 3-pointer by Gathers with eight seconds left made it a one possession game, 69-67.

But Riverside fouled Price to stop the clock, and Price sealed things with two free throws.

Each team struggled from the foul line. Salmen missed 14 free throws, finishing 25-of-39 on the night.

But Riverside struggled even more mightily from the stripe, missing 20 of them for a 17-of-37 mark.

“That was ultimately the difference,” said Byrd. “We missed too many at the line, we missed a few layups late that should have gone down.

“It was a hard fought game between two of the best teams in the state. There was definitely a playoff-like atmosphere.”

The Rebels (19-6, 1-0) played most of the game without the services of starting shooting guard Louis Dabney. Dabney went down with an ankle sprain early in the second quarter and did not return.

Byrd said Dabney could miss three weeks with the injury.

Against the Comets (10-11, 0-1), Gathers had a massive night, scoring a game-high 36 points. Thomas scored 14, Zelvyn Smith 11 and Martin 10.

For the Comets, John Williams led the way with 21. Mike Green added 11.

“We played an up-tempo game to try and wear down St. Charles,” said Byrd. “We did a good job of that, but at the same time we still missed too many free throws. That’s something we’ll need to correct.”