Riverwood hosted Marist for the Semi-Finals of the Region 4-AAAAAA Tournament and came out victorious, in a 61-59 hard fought win. This game was a back and forth, old fashion ball game. Defensive stops and team rebounding were the ultimate keys to victory. 

 

Riverwood Raiders, junior guard Karris Bilal who is committed to Vanderbilt University, kept his team in this game from start to finish. There’s no secret Bilal is one of the best shooters in Georgia. He displayed the art of the mid range and the beauty in the long ball. Bilal’s shot making ability is a top tier asset in his game; in traffic, off the dribble or catch and shoot, he makes it look effortless. Bilal is the leader of a very young group that is learning how to win on the biggest stage. Their growth has been an amazing site to see. 

 

Junior guard, Jesse Graves stepped up big time in the Raiders win. Graves helped orchestrate the offense and knock down some huge shots in the process. In addition to getting timely stops on defense. Graves’ long and athletic build allowed him to disrupt the offensive flow of Marist.

 

From one athletic guard to another, sophomore Jalen Leonard started the game off a bit slow, but in the second half he picked it up when his team was down. In the 4th quarter Leonard got to the line, converted on and-1’s and hit the biggest shot of the game and his young career. With 1:30 seconds left in the game, Leonard called for an isolation on the right wing, sized the defender up, broke him down to the top of the key and launched a 25 foot 3-pointer that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. That shot put the Raiders up for good. 

 

This was a game the Riverwood Raiders needed. The way they overcame adversity, didn’t panic and continued to play together on both ends of the floor showed the growth in this young ball club.