By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Riverside’s defense stifled Helen Cox all night and its offense got on track in a 75-43 victory at home on Monday night.

Ricardo Gathers led a balanced scoring effort for the Rebels with 17 points. Zelvyn Smith and Lucas Martin each scored 14. Louis Dabney scored 13.

Riverside (4-2) led 18-13 after a quarter and 39-23 at halftime.

The game was the first time the Rebels saw their entire starting lineup intact, as forward Donald Thomas returned from a broken hand that sidelined him for the season’s first five games.

“This team has improved every game so far,” said Riverside coach Timmy Byrd. “I was pleased with the lack of turnovers. We protected the ball well and if we do that … if we see the chemistry out there improve, and it has been, this team will be really good.”

Byrd praised junior point guard Lucas Martin for his ability to play “fast, but under control”.

He also noted the continuation of a strategic shift his team made during tournament play last week – Gathers, who has played almost exclusively at center during his run with the Rebels, moved to the wing offensively.

“It really prevents teams from just doubling and tripling him,” said Byrd. “He gave us some real good production for only playing about two and a half quarters.”

That shift came about during his team’s two-point loss to Lee (AL) last week in which Dabney was mired in foul trouble. His absence for much of the game opened the door to the experiment. Gathers finished with 27 points and 17 rebounds in the game, finishing out a tourney in which Riverside went 3-1.

“He played like a monster,” said Byrd.

Helen Cox struggled to get any offense going, doing much of its fourth quarter damage in the waning moments.

“This is a team unlike any other that I’ve coached because its main ability is its defensive strength,” said Byrd. “They’re so athletic, and long, and we’ve got some guys who are really intense in what they do.”