The River Bluff boys basketball team dominated Midland Valley Thursday night, winning 81-50 and recording a season-high in points scored. 

Four Gators scored double-figures to help River Bluff coast to its eighth win in 10 games this season. The team has scored over 60 five times and has started to find its rhythm offensively. 

“Eventually we got to the point where the kids were playing well together, doing the things that we asked them to do,” head coach Ben Lee said. “Keep it simple, guard the ball, know where the next pass is, and they started doing that, and things started going a little bit better.”

Guard Yasir Cromer had a game-high 16 points and six assists in three-quarters of action. Guard Dax Avery hit four three-pointers and three free throws to score 15 points for the Gators. 

In the frontcourt, forwards Luke Chapman and Pac Pitts combined for 22 points and effectively crashed the offensive glass to create second possessions for River Bluff. 

Midland Valley led after the game's opening quarter. The Mustangs came out running and scored the majority of their points in transition. Make or miss, Midland Valley would take the ball from River Bluff’s basket and pitch it ahead for a fast break opportunity. 

Chapman scored the Gators' first eight points, but the team found itself down by one.

Aside from the transition game, the Mustangs were successful in lobbing the ball up to forward Brayshawn Carter in the opening quarter. He never dunked the ball, but he threw in two layups and drew two fouls for his team. 

River Bluff adjusted in the second quarter and prevented Carter from catching another lob for the remainder of the game. The Gator offense also caught fire and scored 25 points to go from down one to up 18 by halftime. 

“I'd like to say that I said something really inspiring after the first quarter, but I don't think it is,” Lee said. “I think the kids just were frustrated with their own performance, and they do a good job of leaning on each other, and they found a way to work collaboratively to have a better quarter than the first one.”

The Gators opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run. The team went up by double-digits midway through the period and never let the Mustangs climb back in it. 

Midland Valley was forced to rely more on its halfcourt offense and struggled to connect on shots. The team also switched to a full-court press on defense, but River Bluff had no problems breaking it down. 

The third quarter was similar to the second. The Gators scored 25 points and held Midland Valley to 18, expanding the River Bluff lead to 25 entering the game’s final eight minutes. 

The Gators used the fourth quarter to play its bench and dribble out the clock but still outscored the Mustangs 17-11. 

The win marks the third in a row for River Bluff since its Dec. 5 loss to Lugoff-Elgin. The Gators are winners of seven of their last eight contests and have three more scheduled before beginning region play. 

“These kids work hard. I think the personality of the team is something I've been impressed with since preseason,” Lee said. “They're fun to be around. They enjoy working hard. They enjoy the game of basketball, and they are fun to coach. So, I'm glad for them that they're having this success, but still a long way to go.”

The team will play a weekend match against Airport this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on the road. The Eagles will be coming off a game the night before against Brookland-Cayce.

“(Let’s) see if we can go four quarters instead of three,” Lee said. “They're going to be ready, they're going to be well coached, and they're going to be disciplined. So, a slow start there could be really problematic.”