Sectional 3: South Bend Adams vs. Riley

South Bend Adams and South Bend Riley met just 12 days after Adams handed Riley a last-second loss. The sectional game was even better.

Adams senior Mike Green made a basket cut as time was anxiously ticking off the clock. Kyreece Parker found Green on the cut with a precision pass. As Green went up with his last-second shot, he was fouled with 0.2 seconds on the scoreboard.

Green calmly knocked in both free throws to give Adams the victory over Riley. Green finished with 18 points.

Adams was down most of the game including all of the second and third quarters. It looked like Riley could pull away a couple of times. Riley opened a 10-point lead in the second quarter. Riley also was up seven with under five minutes to play in the game. Adams displayed resiliency throughout the game.

Early in the game, Roland Austin produced at a high level for Riley. He scored eight points in the open quarter to give Riley an unexpected boost. On the other end, it was all Walter Ellis in the first quarter. He was aggressively looking to take his defender off the dribble from the first possession of the game. It worked out well for Ellis as he scored 15 points in the first half.

Riley’s star Damezi Anderson struggled for a large portion of the game. His shots were off the mark early then picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter. He played 26 minutes in the game instead of his usual 30. That is a big difference in a back and forth game.

Anderson’s best stretch came to start the fourth quarter. He scored six points in the first three minutes of the period. It looked like he was finding a rhythm but the junior only made two free throws after that.

Kyreece Parker and William Jeffers were huge for Adams in the fourth quarter. Parker and Jeffers scored 15 of Adams’ 20 points in the fourth. Parker’s shooting was crucial to the late comeback for Adams. Jeffers was a force on the glass including a tip dunk with 13 seconds left to pull Adams within one point.

This was the first sectional loss for Riley juniors Damezi Anderson, Shamar Dillard and Rylen Grundy. Riley finishes its season 19-3.

Riley – Damezi Anderson 18 points (7-20 FG, 1-6 3FG, 3-4 FT), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 steal; Maurice Scott 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-5 FT), 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal; Shamar Dillard 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 block; Roland Austin 14 points (7-10 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 steal; Rylan Grundy 1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; Nate Marino 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover; Marlon Taylor 6 points, 4 rebounds; Jalen Jennings 1 steal; Harrington Greer 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Adams – Walter Ellis 17 points (5-14 FG, 0-3 3FG, 7-8 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal; Michael Green 18 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3FG, 7-8 FT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal; Rico Swanson 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover; Kyreece Parker 18 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3FG) 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 1 steal; William Jeffers 7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 block, 2 steals; Te’Shan Godwin 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1 steal; Shakell Johnson 5 points, 5 rebounds; David Smith 1 rebound