Kaden Burk delivered a game-winning basket for Riverside’s boys basketball team Tuesday as the Pirates clipped visiting Ansonia 62-61 in a non-league game.
The Tigers took a 61-59 lead with 24 seconds left in the game. The Pirates called a timeout with 17 seconds left and Burk eventually drained a three-point basket with 1.3 ticks left on the clock for the win.
“Once they took the lead in the final minute, we called timeout and drew up a play,” said RHS head coach Seth Bodenmiller. “Ansonia played great defense and broke the play down.
“We got the ball in Kaden Burk’s hands, and thankfully, he was able to knock down a big shot. We’ve been on a tough stretch here lately, so it was nice to get a win tonight and hopefully this will propel us forward.”
The win lifts the Pirates to 4-13 on the season as the Tigers slip to 9-8.
Ansonia held a 14-11 lead after the first quarter. The Tigers pushed their lead to 12 points (33-21) at halftime.
Riverside began its comeback in the third quarter with an 18-11 run. That cut Ansonia’s lead to a 44-39 score. The Pirates kept chipping away and would outscore the Tigers 22-18 in the final period.
“Ansonia is a very talented team,” said Bodenmiller. “I thought that we came out with a lot of great energy and got off to a tremendous start. We got into some foul trouble and they turned up the pressure in the third quarter and at the beginning of the fourth quarter that gave us some problems.”
John Zumberger carried the Pirates with 22 points and seven rebounds, Wade Auflick had 12 points, Burk tallied 11 points with 10 rebounds and Jayden Burchett added eight points.
In junior varsity action, Ansonia beat Riverside 65-46. Landon Stewart led the Pirates with 22 points.
Riverside is back on the court Saturday at Houston for a non-league contest.