Jake Graham fades away against Lakeside.
By: Campea Photography

The Riverside took on Lakeside in boys basketball in the District 7 1A semifinals this last Thursday, February 8th, at West Valley High School as part of the Winter 2023-24 season.

Riverside started slowly, going scoreless in the final 4:59 of the opening period, and trailed 11-4 after one quarter.

After scoring the first two buckets of the second to pull within three at 11-8, the third-seeded Eagles tallied six consecutive for a 17-9 cushion. Daniel Schneider would keep the Rams close with a pair of hoops in the final 1:20 before halftime. The 6-6 senior had eight points as Riverside went to the locker room on a 7-2 first-half-ending run.

The third stanza was a defensive slugfest until Jake Graham scored twice in less than a minute, followed by a Cole Waldron steal and score to bring the Rams even at 27. Graham would drop a couple of triples late, scoring ten in the quarter to make the Lakeside lead one at 34-33.

The final quarter saw Graham score five straight for a 38-36 Rams advantage, only to have Lakeside answer with a run of eight consecutive and a 44-38 lead. Graham tallied seven in a row, and the Eagles’ lead was 46-43 before free throws down the stretch made the final margin. Graham would finish with 22 points. Lakeside won the game with a final score of 48-45 over Riverside.

Riverside has another opportunity to advance to the crossover round next Wednesday against Medical Lake, a 79-33 loser to Freeman.