By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

RESERVE — A familiar landscape awaits two-time defending Class 2A champion Riverside as it prepares to travel to Lake Charles for the boys basketball Top 28 tournament.

Its semifinal opponent last season, No. 5 North Caddo, again will match up with No. 1 Riverside in this year’s semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Burton Coliseum; a potential rematch with Lakeview, its championship game foe, is also perhaps in the cards, as No. 2 Lakeview faces No. 3 Episcopal in the other 2A semifinal.

North Caddo has blistered its way through the competition this postseason. Caddo beat Doyle in the quarterfinals, 60-45, after besting St. James 81-49 in the second round and Pine, 75-39, in the opening round.

North Caddo (29-3) has won seven straight games and its only losses have been to fellow top 28 competitor Lakeview and to East St. John. Those losses each came by six points or less.  

Riverside (29-6), meanwhile, has been decimating its competition, especially within the state. While the Rebels absorbed six losses in games against out-of-state competition. Each of RA’s playoffs wins have come by 35 points or more.

More staggeringly, of Riverside’s 25 wins against Louisiana opponents, only one has been by less than double figures — a 79-70 win over Karr on Dec. 16. Riverside boasts decisive wins over Scotlandville (by 11 points), East St. John (in two games, by 24 and 18); Salmen (by 20); Country Day (by 22); University Lab (by 12); Landry-Walker (by 15) and Higgins (by 11).

Each of those teams have won 22 games or more this season, and six of them advanced to the Top 28 tournament.

RA’s resume makes a strong case that it is the state’s best team regardless of classification.

But the Rebels won’t be remembered for that without two more wins.

“Winning a third straight championship would mean a lot,” Riverside junior Herb McGee said.

“Not many high school players can ever say they won three, and (a number of Rebels) have a chance to win even four. But we’ve got to stay humble and worry about today first.”

Riverside coach Timmy Byrd has scouted Caddo since last season’s face off, and he isn’t taking anything for granted.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Byrd said.

“They’ve got size with their 6’9” center. They go 10-11 deep and they won big (over St. James, when Byrd watched them). They’re a tough team.”