A Ty Sheets 3-pointer lifted Riverton to a 51-41 lead with 6:22 remaining in Saturday afternoon’s game with Star Valley at Wolverine Gym, but the 10-point cushion wasn’t enough.
Star Valley battled back with Max Jensen hitting the game-winning 3-point shot with just a second left in the game for a 56-54 Braves win.
Sheets had the best game of his career leading the Wolverines with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, and in an intangible statistic, he took three player-control foul charges from hard-driving Braves in the game.
Star Valley is a physical basketball team. There is a reason the Braves are always in the hunt for a state football championship and their style of play reflected that tradition.
Officials whistled both teams for a combined 10 player control fouls as players fell like bowling pins in the lane on drives down the paint. Riverton committed three charges, and the Braves seven in the physical contest.
Riverton senior Dre’Vin Monroe suffered a knee injury and had to leave the game, opening a spot for 6-4 junior post Malachi Smith. Smith entered the contest and scored eight points, had four blocks, and was a dominating presence in the paint.
The defensive strategy for most Riverton opponents this season has been to stop guard Parker Paxton from scoring. The Braves were a bit more brutal in their defensive scheme keeping the high-scoring guard from getting the ball and doubling down on him when he did.
With their physical style of play, the Braves won the game from the perimeter hitting a dozen 3-pointers. Riverton shot well outside too with Sheets hitting three treys, and Paxton, Darrick Devries, and Brodie Dale a pair each.
Star Valley made a 15-3 run in the final six minutes of the game to escape with the win, most of that on the hot shooting of Jensen who hit five 3-pointers on the game and three in the final minutes, including the game winner.
He tied the game at 51-51 on an arching shot from the top of the key with 1:12 remaining but Dale hit a trey off the elbow with 41 seconds left to give Riverton their final lead at 54-51.
Three Star Valley timeouts in the final 30 seconds set Jensen on a drive down the lane where he was fouled by Smith with:04 left in the game.
Jensen missed the tying free throw but it bounced off DeVries’ hands out of bounds. The Braves threw the ball to Jensen who ripped the nets from the right baseline for the game winner 3-point.
Sheets with 19 and DeVries with 10 were the only Wolverines in double figures.
RIVERTON 11 23 13 7 – 54
STAR VALLEY 12 15 14 15 – 56
Riverton – Darrick DeVries 1 (2) 2-3 10, Ty Sheets 4 (3) 2-2 19, Brodie Dale (2) 2-2 8, Parker Paxton 1 (2) 1-2 9, Malachi Smith 4 0-0 8. Totals 10 (9) 7-9 54
Star Valley – P.J. Horsley 1 (1) 2-2 7, Kash Lancaster 2 (2) 0-0 10, Bryson Nield 1 (1) 0-0 5, Dylan Shumway (3) 0-0 9, Cooper Lancaster 2 3-3 7, Max Jensen 1 (5) 1-3 18. Totals 7 (12) 6-8 56