Andrew Campea soars past the Bellevue Christian defenders for the layup. Photo by Campea Photography.

For the second consecutive Saturday, the Riverside boys basketball team faced a do-or-die elimination matchup, this time on the game’s grandest stage, the state tournament, against Bellevue Christian at West Valley High School. The Rams stood the test, winning 68-58.

A 7-0 run in just under two and a half minutes of the opening period pushed the Rams lead to 12-4. The advantage would grow to 19-8 as the quarter ended. Daniel Schneider had seven points, and Jake Graham had six.

Daniel Schneider also enjoyed a productive second quarter, adding to his total and scoring a dozen in the first half. The last two on passes from Jake Gaffaney. The two senior all-league selections teamed up for a rim-rattling alley-oop to bring the Rams faithful to their feet. Riverside took a 29-19 lead into intermission.

The second half opened with the #14-seeded Vikings going on an 11-3 run to knot the score at 32. The two squads traded buckets as the third quarter ended even at 37, but the Rams had yet to trail.

Momentum swung in the direction of the #11-seeded Rams only 34 seconds into the final quarter when Bellevue Christian was assessed an unsportsmanlike technical foul. Daniel Schneider converted a free throw, having been fouled while shooting, and Graham hit both technical freebies. On the ensuing Riverside possession, Graham was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws. With only 1:41 gone in the final quarter, the Rams were up seven. The points by Graham were his first since the opening period.

The Northeast “A” League MVP would go on to tally twelve in the fourth and finished with 18 as Riverside advanced to a Wednesday 9:00 am pairing with sixth-seeded Royal in yet another elimination game at the Yakima Valley Sundome, with the winner earning a date on Thursday with fifth-seeded Seattle Academy. Daniel Schneider topped Ram, scoring 19, Andrew Campea had 12, and Jake Gaffaney had 10.