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Jan. 24th, 2003
This game was a nail-biter until
the last few minutes.
Riverton started quickly, jumping
out to a 6-0 lead on the hot perimeter shooting of sophomore Richie
Combs. Riverton was disciplined and patient in their approach on offense. The Hawks showed excellent ball movement, just waiting to pound the ball into Miller or Martinez at the right opportunity. Those opportunities were few and far between though. Riverton started setting baseline screens for a curling Blanchard or Combs to take the three. Coach Hampton made the solid adjustment of moving Martinez out and opening up the middle for Miller. Riverton was killing Athens on the boards as the Warriors were one and done after a missed shot.
With Riverton barely leading
41-40 heading into the final period, senior Tim Blanchard exploded for 11
of his game high 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Riverton was lead in scoring by senior Tim Blanchard with a game high 21 pts. on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore Richie Combs tickled the twine for 15 pts. on 4-6 shooting from "trey" land. John Martinez added a tough 9 pts. and 7 rebounds, while Zach miller dropped in 8 pts. and grabbed 8 caroms. Riverton next's opponent is the Blue-Jays of Petersburg Porta, who lead the Sangamo conference along with Tri-City with a 4-1 record. Petersburg is always a tough place to play and bring home a road victory. The Blue-Jays are lead by all-conference candidate Seth Sanert and key players Jesse Sullivan and jason Carpenter. The Riverton Lady Hawks(22-0 and Sangamon County champs as well) play against the Lady Blue-Jays in the first game.
Come out and support both Riverton teams in their outstanding seasons!
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Jan. 20th, 2003 It was satisfying for the Riverton Hawks to notch their first Sangamo conference win with a 69-58 victory over the Cougars of Illini-Central. The team played very well, even without the services of sophomore point guard Matt Koger, who is suffering from a severe bacterial infection in his left arm. Ryan Siebert did a great job of leading the team. During a tough stretch, Ryan came and got the ball and settled the team down. Richie Combs handled the ball well and ran the offense effectively. Once again, John Martinez and Zach Miller(M&M) made outstanding contributions on both ends of the floor. As always, Tim Blanchard set the standard for hustle and defensive intensity. John Martinez scored a game high 23 pts. along with nine rebounds. Zach Miller added 17 pts. and a game high ten caroms. Tim Blanchard contributed 10 pts., including eight in the first half. Ryan Siebert dropped in 8 pts., while Richie Combs added 6 pts. respectively. Riverton's next opponent is the scrappy Athens Warriors coached by Rod Grimsley. Let's make it 2 Sangamo conference wins in a row! Sorry....no pics for this game.
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Jan. 10th, 2003 In a "double-varsity" night at the Hawks Center, the Hawks and Lady Hawks both came away with wins. In the first game, the Lady Hawks (18-0) rolled past the Virden Lady Bulldogs 58-34, while in the marquee game, the Riverton Hawks buried the Virden Bulldogs, 79-44. Riverton started quickly, forcing five turnovers in the first four minutes and jumped to 23-7 lead after one. The Hawks kept their defensive intensity high and pushed the margin to 44-15 and never looked back from there. The Hawks put four players in double figures. Senior Ryan Siebert played his best overall game of the season thus far, dropping in 16 pts., dishing out 7 assists, cleaning 5 boards, and grabbing 3 steals! John Martinez lead all scorers with 24 pts. and 7 rebounds, while Tim Blanchard added 13 pts. and 5 rebounds. Matt Koger contributed 10 pts. and 3 steals, and Zach Miller chipped in 8 pts., 6 assists, and 9 rebounds. Riverton had a paltry 5 turnovers for the game. The Hawks move to 8-3 on the season and next face the Williamsville Bullets in their first game of the Sangamon County Tournament.
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Jan. 7th, 2003 This game was a test the Hawks had to pass. The Auburn Trojans came into the Hawks Center with a 9-1 record and fresh off their Waverly Holiday Tournament Championship win over Athens. The Trojans senior point guard Bryon Graven, still recovering from a severely sprained ankle from that win, did not play in this contest. It's fortunate for the Hawks that his services weren't available, because Graven's hot shooting teammates almost didn't need him. Riverton ultimately survived an onslaught of "treys" from Auburn and recorded a 69-63 victory over the Trojans. The Hawks held the Trojans scoreless the first three minutes of the game and Riverton seemed to be sharp defensively.Riverton lead 14-12 after one. The Trojans answered with the perimeter shooting of Dan Gibler and Matt Wease. Auburn took a 30-29 lead into the break. After the break, Riverton went back to their twin towers and pounded the ball into Zach Miller and John Martinez. "M&M" responded as the Hawks lead 55-47 after three quarters. Auburn proved they wouldn't quit even without senior leader Graven on the court. Gibler hit four straight 3's and Auborn closed to within three points late in the game. Andrew Reinert, Matt Koger, and Martinez hit 5 of 6 free-throws in the final seconds to seal the victory. "Offensively, I thought we were out of sync in the first half, " stated Riverton coach Jon Hampton. "At halftime, we talked about adjustments and effort and John Martinez really stepped it up offensively." The Hawks grind out a "W" even with Auburn shooting lights out from beyond the arc (13-18....72%) up until the last minute of play. The Trojans missed their last four 3's to finish 13-22 (59%). When asked jokingly if he thought (Gibler and Wease) shoot the ball well from the perimeter, Hampton just smiled. "That's the best shooting team we've seen.", said Hampton. "Graven didn't play and if he was in there, he might have been able to penetrate then dish out to those shooters. That team could be a scary matchup in the county tournament." Hampton said he was pleased with the Hawks efforts on the boards, especially in the second half. "We had ten offensive rebounds in the first half, but they had six, which is too many for us to give up," stated Hampton. "I thought Andrew Reinert can up huge for us in the final minutes. He did a great job of boxing out their big men (Tony Dobson & James Blair) when Wease and Gibler finally misfired. Auburn played hard and we're happy to get the win." The Hawks put three players into double figures as John Martinez lead all scorers with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Zach Miller scored 14 pts. and grabbed 8 karoms before fouling out with three minutes to play. Matt Koger also added 14 pts. and 4 assists, while Ryan Sibert lead the team with 5 assists. Tim Blanchard was al over the floor defensively and got numerous tips and deflections. Riverton moves to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in the Prairie State Conference. The Hawks next game is at home against the Bulldogs of Virden. The undefeated Lady Hawks play against the Lady Bulldogs before the varsity boys game. Come out and support both Riverton teams!
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vs
The score was tied up 13-13 after one, and Riverton
lead 41-40 after three, but the Hawks's Tim Blanchard ignited a 8-0 run early
in the fourth quarter and Riverton never trailed again. The Hawks finally
raised their defensive intensity the last eight minutes of play and that
was the difference in the ballgame.
Athens's coach Rod Grimsley
had the Warriors packing it in with a tight match-up zone. Athens's defenders
closed quickly and doubled down anytime the ball went to Miller or Martinez.
Rod Grimsley was determined to keep M&M (Zach & John) to very few
touches.
Blanchard was the spark plug that
ignited the Hawks. Tim hit two huge threes in the span of thirty seconds!
This certainly seemed to raise the energy level of the entire Riverton
team and the Hawks never looked back. Tim Blanchard and Richie Combs calmly
dropped in their free-throws in the final minute to preserve the victory.
vs
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