On Tuesday night Riverside boys’ basketball did something it hadn’t done since 2014 and that is defeat the AHSTW Vikings. The Bulldogs had lost 18 consecutive games vs this AHSTW Vikings team, but this Bulldogs team seems a little different than prior years. The Bulldogs have a good mix of senior upper classmen like leading scorer returner for the Bulldogs in Grady Jeppesen who averaged 21 points a game as a junior was looking to get off to a fast start in senior campaign and that is exactly what he did. Riverside took control of the basketball game from the opening tip as Jeppesen scored just 5 seconds into the quarter in route to 16 first quarter points by the senior and the Bulldogs led 22-12. The second quarter was back and forth and would be the only quarter of that night that Riverside lost. They would lead 37-28 at the halftime break.

The Bulldogs got huge contributions all the way around and especially from their three freshmen in Cole Jeppesen, Owen Fenner, and Peyton Amdor. It is always hard to predict what a freshman might do in their first varsity game and season but these three answered the challenge. Head Coach of the Bulldogs Nicholas Kroon was very happy with how his youngsters preformed in their varsity debuts.

The second half saw most of what the first half did and that was the Grady Jeppesen show. The senior leader for the Bulldogs posted a game high 37 points and also tallied in 7 rebounds in a all-around great game. Knowing he will face tough defenses all season long Coach Kroon was happy with how his star was able to play physical and create space without fouling and finishing at the rim through contact where he converted three and one’s on the night.

Coach Kroon knows how big of a win this is vs a tough Vikings team on the road and the momentum that can come from snapping this 18-game losing streak to the Vikings. The Riverside Bulldogs are back in action Friday night for their home opener against the IKM-Manning Wolves for a 7:15pm tip-off.