GAINESVILLE — It always takes a couple of weeks for the Riverside Military basketball team to shake off the rust of its annual two-week Christmas break.
Tuesday marked the two-week threshold and the Eagles look ready to soar after they dispatched Commerce 68-62 at Curtis Hall in a Region 8-A battle.
It was a crucial win for Riverside (7-5, 6-2 Region 8-A) which at worst kept pace with Athens Academy and Prince Avenue for second place in the region. At best they took over sole possession of second place depending on outcomes of Athens Academy and Prince Avenue on Tuesday.
Isaac Teasley poured in 27 points to go with 13 rebounds to pace Riverside, which led virtually from start-to-finish. Jabari DePass also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Will Eidson added 14 points for the Eagles.
Riverside coach Marvin Latham said things are starting to come back into form.
“The break is always tough for us but I like the makeup of this team and we’re really starting to get where I want us to be,” Latham said. “Isaac is a tough matchup for everyone. He can score in a lot of ways and can rebound. We have several guys that we feel confident in.”
Riverside opened the game with a 21-9 first quarter and never trailed again. Commerce (2-15, 0-8) chipped away in the second quarter pulling within 31-25 by halftime behind Jamecus Cox, who finished with 21 points for the game.
The Tigers got within 34-31 on a pair of Jalen Dorsey free throws early in the third quarter but Riverside responded with a 14-6 run, capped by a stickback basket from DePass for 48-37 advantage. The Eagles took a 54-44 lead into the fourth period.
The Tigers again began to chip away trimming the lead to 64-60 on a Tyelon Brock 3-pointer with 3:01 left. But the Eagles defense forced five turnovers down the stretch and held Commerce to just one basket the rest of the way to hold on for the victory.
“We’ve still got a ways to go. We need to get better on defense,” Latham said. “But I think we’ll get there and be ready for the (region) tournament.”
Brock had 15 points for Commerce.
Both teams will be back in action with road Region 8-A contests on Friday. Riverside will travel to Tallulah Falls while Commerce will head to Hebron Christian.
