Riverview confident after strong showing in holiday tournament
Thu. December 22, 2011 at 7:55 a.m. | By Staff Report
Riverview's Eric Traver drives to the basket against the Venice Indians earlier this season. (Photo by J. Meric)
SARASOTA
In his third season as the head coach of the Riverview boys basketball team, B.J. Ivey has high expectations for his team.
His players' expectations are even higher.
"Our goal is to make it to the state final four," said senior guard Eric Traver. "It's ambitious, but we set our standards high."
After going 19-6 last season and capturing a District 6A-7 championship, the Rams are picking up right where they left off.
After a 5-1 start, the Rams made waves at the Bright House Holiday Classic in Clearwater, blowing out Gateway Senior High (Monroeville, Pa.) — the fifth-ranked team in Pennsylvania according to ESPN Rise — by 21 points, 66-45, in their tournament opener.
On offense, the Rams were deadly behind the arc. Traver led the Rams with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Jeremy Jones had 16 points with four 3-pointers.
In their semifinal, the Rams did it with defense, holding 6-foot-9 UMass commit Tyler Bergantino to no field goals in a 63-62 triple overtime victory against Nature Coast.
"That was big for us," said Traver, who hit the buzzer-beating game-winning shot in the third overtime. "Riverview basketball has a history that we're trying to bring back."
That victory earned Riverview a spot in the regionally televised championship game Tuesday. The Rams held a 44-39 lead going into the fourth quarter against St. Petersburg Gibbs but were outscored 18-10 down the stretch in a tough 57-54 loss.
And the Rams did it without senior Jones, who missed the game after being selected to the North-South All-Star Football Game.
"Jones is an emotional leader. He's a defensive stopper and a top scorer for us. He brings the toughness," Ivey said.
Traver, who had 15 points in the final and led all scorers in the tournament averaging 20.3 points per game, was named the Classic's most valuable player.
He was joined by Austin Walker and senior Tyreek Lang on the All-Tournament Team.
It was tough to lose the final the way the Rams did, but all-in-all it was a good showing for Riverview.
"We're in a good place right now," Ivey said. "But we've got to continue to focus on the little details if we're going to continue to improve."
Riverview returns five seniors from last year's club and added Walker, a 6-foot-4 sophomore transfer from Bradenton Christian.
The Rams (7-2) are confident about postseason prospects.
"We're not trying to put the cart before the horse," Ivey said. "We're taking it one game at a time, but this was a great chance for us to get acclimated to playoff basketball."
There's still one goal before they reach the playoffs.
"We're focused on winning a district title first," Traver said.