Scacco Soars Over the Riverhawks in 28 Point Victory - By Michael Revell

The Richland Bombers hosted the Chiawana Riverhawks on Saturday, Jan 31st to decide the fate of the Mid-Columbia Conference. Heading into the game, the Bombers sat atop the MCC with a dominant 18-0 record. The Riverhawks, however, were right there with the Bombers, sitting at 15-2 with 1 of their two losses coming from the Bombers and the other from the Kamiakin Braves. This was also the senior night for the historic class of 2026, who were undefeated in conference play in their careers. 63-0 heading into the game against Chiawana. And the cherry on top? It was Lance Hornvedt’s 18th birthday.

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook

It was Hornvedt as well who drew first blood for the Bombers, making a fade-away jump shot from just outside the key off the glass. Back and forth action ensued, Junior Heavens brought the game within 2, at 14-12 in favor of the Bombers. After Heavens’ easy layup Coach Strefuert called a timeout to rally his troops. The Bombers then went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by Josiah Scacco, who jumped a pass and had an aggressive fast break jam. Josiah was asked before the game on what he does to get into an opponents train of thought when on defense, he said “I actually try to count the dribbles of the guy bringing the ball up when they’re in their base set before he passes. If I catch him doing the same thing most of the time, I can get a good idea of when to expect a pass my way.” From this point on, the lead never dropped below 7 for the Bombers. The rest of the second quarter was filled with great bomber offense, as they notched 28 points in the 2nd, largely thanks to the blistering 62% 3-point percentage in the quarter.

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook

Jackson Woodard also had a great first half, notching 16 points through 16 minutes of play. The Riverhawks would strike first in the second half, with Messiah Guy getting a layup and Junior Heavens hitting a 3 from the top of the key. Josiah Scacco would then score the next 6 points for the Bombers, including back-to-back layups on consecutive possessions. The 3rd quarter ended up being the only quarter the Bombers lost on the night, with the Riverhawks outscoring Richland 18-13. Josiah Scacco was responsible for 8 of the 13, with Horntvedt and Northrop having 2 and 3, respectively. Gage Williams was a thorn in the Bomber’s side on the rebounds all night long, he led both sides in total rebounds with 11 on the night. He was also prevalent in attacking the rim throughout the length of the game, with 100% of his 20 points either coming within 15 feet of the hoop or from the charity stripe. 

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook

Entering the fourth quarter, the Bombers held a 14-point lead, 66-52. The impressive conditioning Richland possesses was really put on display in the fourth quarter, as they completely dismantled the Riverhawks, eliminating any form of doubt any onlookers could have had about victory. To begin the fourth, Landen Northrop and Ender Douglass traded 3 pointers, only for Landen to answer back with another triple, which was from several feet behind the arc. Northrop would finish the night with 18 points, and both of his converted 3 pointers came in the beginning of the fourth. Braylon Edwards drew a charge, and Josiah Scacco continued to run his defenders into the ground, getting his 9th layup of the game. Chiawana took a timeout, and it was clear that the life of their team and the visiting crowd was gone. Richland would go on to score 24 more points, ultimately winning 97-69 over Chiawana, clinching the 41st conference title in the Bombers’ name. This game cannot be talked about without mentioning Junior Heavens of Chiawana, who had 22 points on the night, while going 4 of 6 from deep. Heavens and Williams appeared to be the only Riverhawks who showed up to play, but their valiant efforts were no match for what Richland had in store for them. Player Of The Game Josiah Scacco would finish with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. An excellent all-around performance for the senior on senior night. AtomicTv Student Producer Grady Weld was asked what his thoughts were on the game, and he said, “You know, I kind of realized tonight this is the best Bomber team I have ever covered. They played very well against a top 10 team in the state, and they still could have played much better. It’s crazy how high the ceiling is for this team.” 

Photo Courtesy of RHS Yearbook