Bombers Stay Perfect - By Hannah Williamson

    The Richland Bombers and the Chiawana Riverhawks would meet for a second time at Art Dawald Gymnasium. The Bombers were looking to complete the season sweep of the Riverhawks, and they did just that with a win 69-56. Earlier in the season, the Bombers had more of a dominant win, 85-63, when they were able to shut down Donavin Young of Chiawana early on, whereas in this matchup, they struggled a little more to stop Young and Dion Wright.

Jase Vopalensky (20) shutting down Chiawana's Kade Smith Saturday night. Photo courtesy of Megan DeGraaf (RHS Yearbook). 

    To start the game, Luke Westerfield would win the tip-off to get things started for the Bombers. The momentum early in the first was all for the Riverhawks, though, as the Bombers had a slower start struggling to get the shots to fall. It wasn’t until the 3:58 mark that the Bombers found their groove after Jack Forbes hit one of his many mid-range shots to get the Bombers going. When asked about his mid-range shot, Forbes said, “My big man Luke was setting some great screens to come off, and I hit one and got into a rhythm.” In the paint and mid-range was where the Bombers were getting the majority of their points until it was all tied up 18-18 with nine seconds left in the quarter, Woodard had possession of the ball and it was the Bombers’ last push to get ahead before the end of the quarter. Woodard would shoot behind the arc at the buzzer and drain the 3-point shot to get the Bombers ahead 21-18 going into the second quarter.

Josh Woodard (12) taking control of the offense. Photo courtesy of Megan DeGraaf (RHS Yearbook).

    Early in the second quarter, the Bombers took a 7-point lead when the Riverhawks took a full timeout. Until this point, the Bombers were working the Riverhawks defensively to force turnovers where the Bombers would take full advantage. Out of the timeout, the Riverhawks converted their shots to cut the Bombers’ lead to 4. In traffic, Woodard would go up for a lay-in and miss while Bomber fans wanted a foul called. The crowd erupted, booing in search of a foul they would not get. With Westerfield in foul trouble early, the Bombers would double-team Young, which worked effectively. The Riverhawks struggled to get their shots to fall, with Young defended so well by Fobes and Brock Streufert. Throughout the second quarter, freshman Landen Northrop worked well to get the lay-ins to fall to give the Bombers a larger cushion as the end of the half was near. Going into the locker room, the Bombers would lead the Riverhawks 37-28, looking to strengthen their lead in the second half.

    Out of the locker room, both teams were struggling to get their shots to fall. Westerfield would be a rebound magnet helping his team get more second-chance shots. Midway through the third, the momentum shifted to the Bombers when Northrop blocked Mason Castillo’s shot. Westerfield would also be left alone deep and drained a three-point shot as the crowd erupted to give the Bombers a 12-point lead, 42-30, with 4:31 left in the quarter. After a foul called on Forbes, Wright of Chiawana would shoot two and make one narrowing the Bomber lead to nine. Shortly after, Coach Streufert would call a 30-second timeout to strategize with his team to give themselves a cushion going into the end of the third quarter. In the last minute and a half of the quarter, Jordan Valencia proved he could work it inside the paint and beyond the arc, draining the three-point shot to give the Bombers a nine-point lead. After a late foul called on Jase Vopalensky leaving the Bomber fans upset, Valencia would again drain another three-pointer. As time expired in the third quarter, Woodard would hit a mid-range shot at the buzzer to lead the Bombers 51-41 going into the final quarter of the game. Woodard said it felt good to put his team ahead in crucial moments and have his teammates and coaches trust him to take those big shots.

Jack Forbes with a huge block on Dion Wright. Photo courtesy of Megan DeGraaf (RHS Yearbook).

    Early in the fourth, the Bombers were hot mid-range and beyond the arc. All night the Bombers had been doing extremely well picking up second-chance shots as they led the Riverhawks 9-2 off of second-chance shots and also led 14-6 points off of turnovers. With six minutes left in the game, the Riverhawks cut the Bomber lead to five after crucial rebounds the Riverhawks picked up to make the game close again. The five-point lead got stretched to eight as Vopalensky was left unguarded and drained the three-point shot. Seconds later, Vopalensky drained yet another three from the same spot to give the Bombers an eleven-point lead. From there and for the rest of the game, it was all Richland. The Riverhawks got very few chances to shoot as they were covered by the Bombers’ defense so well, and when they did have an opportunity, the shot would not fall. On the other side of the ball for the Bombers, their offense was on fire, hitting every shot from under the hoop to deep three-pointers. Everything was working. The Riverhawks also began to get into foul trouble, which sent the Bombers to the line where they would take full advantage. With a minute and fourteen left with the Bombers at a 15-point lead, the Riverhawks pulled all of their starters, while the Bombers followed shortly after. As time dwindled down, the Richland Bombers would win 69-55 over the Chiawana Riverhawks and advance 14-2 on the season. 

Woodard (12), Valencia (22), Westerfield (back), and Streufert (30) box out Chiawana for a rebound. Photo courtesy of Megan DeGraaf (RHS Yearbook).

    The Bombers were led by Jack Forbes with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, Josh Woodard with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, along with Jase Vopalensky and Jordan Valencia close behind with 13 and 11 points. The Bombers outscored the Riverhawks every quarter to come out with a big MCC matchup win to stay perfect in conference play.