For the first time in school history, Riverside is headed to the Boys Basketball Top 28 tournament in Lafayette.

The Rebels shook off a raucous road environment and a game Springfield team to pull away in the fourth quarter to a 72-52 victory Class 2A quarterfinal victory.

Riverside’s Ricardo Gathers led all scorers with 20 points. Louis Dabney added 16.

Springfield seized some early momentum and led 19-15 after a quarter and by as many as eight in the first half.

The Rebels, undaunted, fought back into the lead and took a 32-31 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Riverside’s length and athleticism on the defense end all but shut down Springfield’s offense, allowing just 19 second half points.

Details will be in the Wednesday edition of L’Observateur.