Story by Kadin Rogers
After a week long break in action, The Monmouth-Roseville Titans boys basketball team returned to the Shoebox for a Three Rivers Conference West Division matchup against the Riverdale Rams on Friday night. In a rematch of a game from earlier in the season, it would be the Rams with a second win over the Titans.
A Nick Huston put-back and reverse layup from Lars Bergren would get the Titans on the board early, however a 9-0 Riverdale run would put them up 14-4 midway through the first quarter. Monmouth-Roseville was able to battle back in the late stretch of the quarter though, as three pointers from Payton Thompson and Ethan Clark help cut the Rams lead down to 16-12 after a full 8 minutes of play. After the Titans cut the lead down to just two points to start the second quarter, Monmouth-Roseville would fall victim to another flurry of points from Riverdale, aided by two more three pointers from Paxton Kiddoo, the Rams would take a 32-18 lead into the halftime break.
After another fast start from Riverdale, the Titans were able to keep battling back and stay within striking distance. Down 17, the Titans would go on a 7-0 run with Bergren knocking down a three to continue cutting the Rams lead. Riverdale would find a way to close the quarter out strong however, as scores from Brody Clark and Jacob Watson boosted the Rams lead to 42-27 after 3. Two triples from Ethan Clark and one from Payton Thompson helped the Titans chip into the lead in the fourth quarter, but Riverdale continued to find answers for Monmouth-Roseville at every turn, as they hold onto a 56-40 win. In the stat book for the Titans, senior Ethan Clark led the way with 13 points, Cee Sarcomo added in 8 while Lars Bergren had 7. The now 10-12 Titans will get another week long break before returning to the Shoebox on January 31st to take on Mercer County.
