By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — A torrid third quarter shooting run by East Jefferson proved the difference Wednesday evening as the Lady Warriors downed Riverside, 50-44.

The game was the opener for both teams and for the first time pitted Rebels’ coach Kristy Hebert against former Rebels’ coach Chuck Dorvin, who also coached Hebert at Ridgewood — the two combined to help Ridgewood to two state championships.

Channan Simmons led Riverside with a game-high 16 points. Toni Hebert scored 12 and Kelsey Joseph scored 10.

Dora Brooks led East Jefferson (1-0) with 15 points. Brooke Lopez scored 13.

Hebert said that the third quarter shooting surge by East Jefferson might have caused her team to press too hard.

“I think we got a little too panicked once they opened up a lead,” said Hebert. “We got control in the first half, but let it slip away. And that’s something I attribute to being a young team. We did a lot of good things tonight, and there were things we need to correct. I thought it was a good opening game, overall, for us.”

Riverside led 8-4 after a quarter, capping things with an Hebert 3-pointer that banked in as time ran out.

Things picked up for both teams offensively from there, but the Rebels (0-1) got into a groove first. RA led 16-13 when Joseph started to get going, drawing fouls on two trips down the floor and sinking all four of her foul shots to make it 20-13. Tiffany Soto answered for EJHS, but Channan Simmons hit a layup for Riverside, then Joseph hit a running layup as time expired in the first half to make it 24-15.

A pair of Simmons buckets to start the second half pushed Riverside to a 10-point lead, but the Warriors got rolling from the outside. Lopez hit a 3 to start the half, then another from the corner a short time later to cut Riverside’s lead to 28-25. Another 3 by Soto pulled the Spartans within one, 29-28.

Jaimaya Bolden converted a basket and a foul for RA to make it 32-28. But then Brooks hit a 3, followed by a pair of Soto baskets. Brooks converted a layup inside just before the end of the quarter to make it 37-32.

“I thought we relaxed and played our game in the third quarter,” said Dorvin. “We picked up our defense, hit some key shots, and that combination really spurred us on.”

Lopez hit another 3 early in the fourth to make it 40-33. Bolden responded with a putback, and soon after Hebert sunk a 3 to push RA within three, 41-38. Shedrice Anderson scored inside and then Brooks drove and converted again for a quick four Warrior points, making it a seven point game with 3:08 left. But Hebert scored on a putback, then Simmons banked a 3 in to make it 45-43 with 2:04 left. Riverside cut it to one after an EJHS traveling violation, and Dorvin called a timeout with 1:07 left.

That led to one of the key plays of the night, when Lopez, inbounding from the sideline in the backcourt, tossed it in, then got loose in front of the defense and got the ball back. She scored a layup to push the lead to three.

“That was a misplay. We didn’t stay with the ball,” said Hebert.

Said Dorvin, “We actually schemed to do something else on that play. But we got a good break off of it.”

East Jefferson stopped the Rebels, then called another timeout. It would score on a similar play, this time with Brooks scoring on the inbounds to make it 49-44. Riverside would get no closer.

Dorvin said that coaching against his former star was different.

“It was strange, I have to admit,” said Dorvin. “But Kristy had her team ready to play. The girls I coached when I was here have really improved. They’re doing a good job. ”

Hebert echoed those sentiments.

“It was fun. We’re like family. We can go at it coaching against one another, and then when it’s over we’re the best of friends,” she said.