MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / Febuary 1, 1999

RESERVE – Riverside jumped out to a 13-2 first quarter lead and never looked back, defeating St. Charles Catholic, 47-34, for a key District 9-2Avictory Tuesday night.

Riverside, coming off an unexpected open date last Friday when its game against West St. John was postponed because of a wet floor, improved to2-1 in district play and 15-7 overall. St. Charles Catholic fell to 3-2 indistrict and 11-18 overall.

Michelle Millet scored a game high 23 points for Riverside, 13 coming in the second quarter as the Lady Rebels pulled out to a 33-17 lead. CrystalRome chipped in with 10 points while Heather Montz contributed seven.

St. Charles Catholic was paced by Felicia Farlough with 14 points. KristaDanos added seven points while Shannon Dolive tossed in six.

Riverside got its offense working early, setting up open shots with good ball movement. The Riverside press caused St. Charles Catholic problemsas the Lady Comets turned the ball over on its first five possessions.

Steals and layups by Rome and Millet made it 6-0 at the five-minute mark of the first quarter.

St. Charles Catholic got its first points of the game as Danos broke thepress and found Dolive underneath with 3:52 left in the quarter. Riversidecame back with a 3-pointer from the left side by Rome and a jump shot from the free throw line by Montz to take a 13-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

A put back by Dolive brought the Lady Comets to within eight early in the second quarter before Montz answered with a put back and a foul for a three-point play, making it 19-8.

Both teams got into foul trouble, each picking up its eighth foul of the half around the three-minute mark of the second quarter.

Millet stepped up at that point, taking an inbounds pass from Ashley Bourgeois underneath the basket. Rome then grabbed a steal and passed toMillet, making it 29-12 with 2:49 left.

Millet extended that lead to 20 on a running jumper and a layup with a minute left. Farlough followed by taking a pass underneath from Dolive andthen hit a jumper from the free throw line to cut the lead to 16 at the break.

The Lady Comets defense stepped up in the third quarter, holding the Lady Rebels to two free throws each by Rome and Amanda Roussel.

A jump shot by Pollet and a layup and two free throws by Farlough brought the Lady Comets to within eight before Riverside called a timeout with 3:44 left in the quarter. A pass from Danos to Dolive underneath made it37-27 heading into the final eight minutes.

Farlough cut the deficit to nine with a free throw on the Lady Comets’ opening possession of the quarter before Millet answered by taking an inbounds pass under the basket from Bourgeois. Bourgeois laterintercepted a pass at midcourt, drove in and popped in a jumper to build the lead back to 14 with four minutes left.

A jump shot by Danos and two free throws by Marci Martin made it a 10- point game with 3:08 left but Millet came right back with a driving layup.

The Lady Rebels would get free throws down the stretch by Millet and Bourgeois.

“It was extremely important,” Riverside coach John McMillan said of the win. “You have to win home games in district. It is a wide open battle forsecond.

“As always with St. Charles Catholic, it was an intense battle. We stillhave to play at their place so it was extremely important to win this one at home.”

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