HANNIBAL — A slowly evaporating 21-point River High lead late in the third quarter Saturday night nearly led to an improbable comeback by a Shadyside squad hungry to end a losing streak at the R.L. Potts gym.

Coach Mark Romick evened its record at 5-5, but needed some late heroics after coach Ed Andes’ 1-11 record Tigers pulled within four points with :08 to play.

The 57-51 repeat win was a frustrating finish for the Pilots, who travel to unbeaten Caldwell, tonight, while Shadyside returns home to host Bridgeport, Tuesday.

“Give (Shadyside) credit for coming back, but we quit playing when we had the big lead,” said Romick. “We were getting beat off the dribble and acted like we didn’t have to play defense.”

The Pilots never trailed as seniors Derek Smith, Lucas Dennis, and Peyton Blue were active around the glass at both ends.

“(Lucas) Dennis really helps get us extra possessions,” mentioned Romick, as the 5-10 Dennis kept the ball alive with his leaping ability as the hosts led 17-7 after one.

Evan Longwell, a 5-11 sophomore who missed last season with an injury, showed what he can do offensively as he led with a game-high 22 points.

He closed the first quarter with a “trey” at the buzzer and added four more bonus swishes in the second as River’s halftime lead grew to 38-22 after nailing eight-of-11 shots in the period.

The Pilots cooled off in the third, hitting four-of-15, but Blue’s deuce in the lane and a “3” from Kaden Hunt had River comfortably up, 48-27.

Sophomore Trenton Marling closed the round with a “3” for Shadyside to make it 48-35.

Shadyside sliced it to 48-39 on a Marling drive at 6:24, but Aiden Milhoan, who Romick stated, “made some huge plays down the stretch for us,” had a putback, a block, and another hoop, while Longwell turned a steal into a 54-39 spread.

Marling scored while Weatherson and junior Ryan Collins hit back-to-back treys with 1:10 to play. Dennis’ huge block on a Tiger drive preserved the lead, but a Tiger free throw made it 54-48 at :30.

Milhoan made 1-of-2 foul shots at :22, but Weatherson drilled his sixth “bonus” shot to pull the visitors to 55-51 with eight seconds left.

The Pilots salted it away when Blue cashed in two free throws with six ticks to go.

Longwell led all scorers, while Blue had 12 points, six boards, four assists and three steals for the Pilots. Dennis had 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Weatherson led the Tigers with 21, while Marling and Parr had nine each.

GIRLS

River 60, Shadyside 28

HANNIBAL — It’s not often a team can close a first half on a 33-2 run, but River High coach Rick Isaly used his Lady Pilots’ sizzling start to shift gears after intermission at the R.L. Potts gymnasium Saturday.

Isaly’s crew, shooting the proverbial lights out while also tenacious around the glass, played an abbreviated second half under OHSAA mercy rules to finish off a 60-28 repeat win over Shadyside.

Senior standout Kaylee Hagan and sophomore Maci Isaly led the winners with 19 and 17 points, respectively, including a combined 30 in the first half when each drilled a trio of bonus bombs.

“Kaylee and Maci had open looks and stayed hot in the first half,” said Isaly, whose 8-6 record club remains solid for an OVAC 2A playoff spot. “We had some unselfish play from Reese (Hobbs) and Carleigh (Trifonoff) with their passing to get us started.”

The Lady Pilots shot out to an early lead as Isaly, the coach’s niece, was all over the floor with seven points, four rebounds and a pair of assists to create a 13-4 advantage.

Addison Melanko’s pair at the line cut it to 13-6 at 2:03 for the Lady Tigers, but a Mallory Maddy baseline swish, a Hagan “3” and Isaly’s dish to Hagan with one second left made it 20-6 after one.

Coach Serge Gentile’s youthful 3-11 record club struggled with three-for-28 shooting in the first half, while 10 turnovers contributed to River’s 26-2 scoring edge in the second.

Junior Zoey Fox and Trifonoff had two goals each before Bayden Parr broke the Shadyside drought at 5:01. The hosts went full throttle from that point as Isaly and Hagan had two ‘treys’ each to help River to a 46-8 intermission lead.

Hobbs opened the second half with a jumper for a 40-point spread, but Kaci Tsoras’ six points helped close it to 48-16 after three.

Both clubs meet again tonight at the Tiger den.

River shot 26-of-54, while Shadyside was 11-for-54.