HOUSTON — Russia cruised to a 49-28 Shelby County Athletic League victory in its regular-season finale on Monday in Houston.
The Raiders built a 9-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, led 22-6 at halftime and 41-21 heading into the fourth.
Kate Sherman led the Raiders with 11 points while Olivia Borchers scored 10. Rylie Voisard led Houston with 10 points.
No. 5 seed Russia (10-12, 7-5) will open tournament play on Saturday when it plays No. 2 seed Mechanicsburg in the Sidney D-IV sectional. The Raiders finish fourth in SCAL standings.
It was also the regular-season finale for Houston (6-16, 2-10), which is a half-game behind Jackson Center in sixth place in SCAL standings. The No. 9 Wildcats will open tournament play with No. 4 Lehman Catholic on Saturday in Sidney.
Anna 31, West Liberty-Salem 29
The Rockets earned a nonconference victory in their regular-season finale on Monday in Anna in a matchup between two of the Dayton D-III sectional’s top seeds.
The Tigers led 9-8 at the end of the first quarter and 14-13 at halftime. Anna used a 9-7 scoring edge in the third to take a 22-21 lead and finished the game with a 9-8 advantage in the fourth.
Lauren Barhorst led Anna with 11 points.
Anna, the sectional’s No. 1 seed, finishes regular-season play 16-6 overall. They’ll open tournament play against No. 20 Dayton Meadowdale on Saturday in Covington.
Riverside 35, Springfield Northwestern 33 2 OT
The Pirates lost a nonconference game on Monday in Springfield.
Riverside used an 8-3 scoring edge in the third quarter and 11-10 edge in the fourth to overcome a 10-4 halftime deficit and force overtime with a 23-23 tie. Each team scored three points in the first overtime, then the Pirates used a 9-7 scoring advantage in the second overtime to secure the win.
Kara Kauffman hit the game-winner for Riverside by making a floater with 1.7 seconds left, picking up a foul and making a free throw.
“We got a tough win tonight,” Riverside coach Bryce Hodge said. “We made it harder on ourselves because we sent them to the free throw line 35 times. On the flip side, we only shot eight free throws. It’s hard to win games when we send the opponent to the line that much.
“We need to be more disciplined defensively and stop fouling so much. Extremely proud of our team for playing hard and getting the tough road win.”
Lauryn Sanford led the Pirates with 12 points while Kauffman finished with five.
