By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Both before and after his team’s bi-district playoff clash with North Caddo in Reserve Friday night, Riverside coach Timmy Byrd acknowledged that his team’s opponent on Friday night was a talented group, one underseeded at 32.

But it didn’t matter – as expected, the Rebels ran roughshod.

Riverside outscored North Caddo 26-8 in the first quarter and coasted the rest of the way, winning 109-71 behind a balanced scoring effort and some suffocating first half defensive play.

Riverside was scheduled to host No. 16 seed Oakdale in the regional round on Tuesday night, after press time. Details will be in the next issue of L’Observateur.

“We emphasized our depth,” said Byrd. “We played 10 players within the first 10 minutes. We were able to wear them out, and we were just really balanced in our production.”

Each of the five Rebel starters scored in double figures. Donald Thomas led the Rebels with 21 points. Ricardo Gathers and Louis Dabney each scored 20. Zelvyn Smith scored 18 and Lucas Martin scored 13.

“(North Caddo) has a pretty good team, but we’re making shots now,” said Byrd. “We did not take them lightly and I thought our kids came out ready to play.

“They definitely weren’t a legitimate 32 seed … against a legitimate 32 seed I thought we’d have won by 60 or 70 the way we played. Our guys are just playing with a real team mindset right now.”

Byrd said that his team’s halfcourt defense was able to stifle the opposition early, setting the tone for the night.

“He came out and played half court man, and they had trouble getting a good shot off,” said Byrd. “We looked to speed them up and our depth took over. We’re playing 12-14 guys a night right now, and that makes it tough.”