Sports
Boys Basketball: Renton Faces Lacey's River Ridge in Saturday 2A Regional
The Renton High Indians are looking to return to state for the first time since 2010.
Here is a side by side look at both teams:
Renton Indians (22-2) vs River Ridge Hawks (17-6)
When/Where: Saturday, February 23 at Tumwater High School 6 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Rentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What's on the line: Winner to 2A Hardwood Classic at the Yakima Valley SunDome
Pick - Renton by two points, comes down to free throws.
Find out what's happening in Rentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Head coaches - Rick Comer (23rd season, 393-170) vs John Barbee (1st season, 17-6).
ScoreCzar Rankings - Renton #3, River Ridge #16
Tacoma News Tribune Rankings (before last week's games) - Renton #4, River Ridge 39
Max Preps Rankings - Renton #7, River Ridge #10
Seattle Times Rankings - Renton #2; River Ridge not ranked
Top Renton Players:
Jonathan Patterson (Seamount League Player of the Year, 13.7 points per game);
Lavelle Smith (League's first team honors, 12.0 points per game).
Donavan Saario (leagues second team honors, leads the team with assists).
Justin Pienh (leagues honorable mention, and nail 3 pointers from downtown when hot, averages 9 points per game, mostly threes)
Top River Ridge Players:
Brad Wallace (Evergreen League Player of the Year, averages 20.3 points a game) not to mention rebounds and steals the ball.
Keseasn Coleman (league honorable mention, inconsistent with points, either hot or cold. Scored eight points in the district championship game.)
What Renton has to do to win:
Renton has to force Wallace outside the box; man to man the entire game. Wallace has the ability to shoot from any where, including three pointers. Coleman is able to step up in Wallace's place, beyond that River Ridge lacks depth and the ability to move forward. If Renton gets into foul trouble early, this is just points for the Hawks to add on to any lead (if any).
Sideline notes:
River Ridge has not lost a game since December 18, the Hawks went 5-6 in the first half of the season. They beat heavy favored Mark Morris in the District 4 championship game last Saturday 50-47.
Renton has scored 1509 points compared to River Ridge's 1476. The Indians have only allowed 1069 points compared to 1344 allowed by the Hawks.
Renton Assistant Coach and Dean of Students Rashaad Powell is a 1999 Renton graduate and has played in several basketball leagues and is playing currently with the Seattle Mountaineers. Comer coached Powell and now Powell is taking a big role in the team's success. Comer said early in the season "the boys are really responding to Powell."
Mark Morris Head Coach Bill Bakamus attended Renton's came on Saturday. Before the game Bakamus told Comer about Wallace and his abilities.
Twitter Feeds to follow during the game:
Ticket Prices
Adults/Students Without ASB Card $10
Students With Valid High School or Middle School ASB $8
Seniors Age 62 & Up $8
Children 5 & Under FREE
