By ROBERT L. LEE

LUTCHER – Coming off a district loss to Newman, the Riverside Academy Rebels were ready to go out and take care of business. The Rebels got their shot to bounce back at the River Parish Shootout Saturday. The Maurepas Wolves were on the receiving end and traveled back home with a 50-21 loss.

“We came back against Newman. The game was a lot closer than the score (65-37) indicated,” explained Rebels’ coach Tommy Monier. He said the Rebels were only down by nine at the half, but such a physical game with the Greenies led to the landslide loss.

Whether the loss affected the Rebels’ play or not, they came out strong to take an early hold on the game and outscore the Wolves 14-4 in the first quarter.

“We definitely picked up the pace early and had a few easy steals,” said Monier. He said the Rebels have been in situations where they had a chance to win, but didn’t put the game away, so they were ready to take control in the first quarter.

However, Monier added that his players have yet to play four full quarters at the level they are capable of and used the Newman game as an example.

“But, there is no doubt we are getting better every game,” he said. “This was probably the most important game all season. We were coming off a loss and needed to put it behind us. Now it’s just about the right team showing up and using the breaks when they happen our way.”

The Riverside team got the break it needed from the young Maurepas team as they held a 12-point lead into the half. The Rebels came out in the third quarter with an explosive 18 points, while holding the Wolves to seven, their high of the night.

The Rebels capped off the night with another 10 points and only allowed four from the Wolves in the fourth quarter.

Although the Rebels notched a win onto the record, Monier said the easy win was likely because of who they were playing and not because of how they were playing.

“Our defense played a lot better of a ball game,” said Monier. “But we are not a team that’s going to light up the scoreboard. We just don’t have that one guy we can count on for 16 guaranteed points. We never know where the points are going to come from.”

He said his players have the potential, but are still trying to find their roles on the team. As Monier moves through his first year coaching the Rebels, he said they are getting to the point where they understand his philosophy.

“Basketball is a lot more than just putting the ball in the hole,” he commented. “The best teams play the best defense. But, I will never take somebody out for taking a shot and missing, that’s too much pressure. To be successful, you have to be relaxed.”

Even though the Rebels didn’t play their best, he said it is the mark of a good ball club when they can not play the way they wanted and still come up with the win.