Lady Rebels earn trip to state finals

Riverside’s Lady Rebels defied the odds and silenced their critics at Saturday night’s Class 2A state semifinal game at Carlisle. Lotti Hoffman knifed through the Earle defense to score what proved to be the winning basket with 8.8 seconds left, lifting the Lady Rebels to a stunning and thrilling 49-47 victory over the defending state champs.

After Earle took a timeout, the Lady Bulldogs had one last opportunity to pull out the win or send the game into overtime. All-state guard RoShala Scott drove the length of the floor but missed a point-blank shot at the buzzer, igniting a wild celebration by Riverside players and fans.

The victory punches the Lady Rebels’ ticket to the state title game Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Riverside will face a familiar foe in conference rival Melbourne. It will be the second state final appearance in Lady Rebel history.

Riverside overcame a roster of only eight yet find themselves playing for a state championship. “Nobody thought we could win this,” said junior guard Lotti Hoffman. “No one thought we could do it. But that’s what we played for. It means so much. We’ve worked so hard for this. It’s amazing.”

“We put the ball in our best player’s hands and asked her to make a play and she did,” said Riverside coach Spencer Hoffman. “Earle played like champions tonight. They played hard and with class. Scott is a great player. I give Earle a lot of credit, but tonight was our night. I can’t put into words what this means to our school. It’s been 20 years since we’ve been there. These kids had to go at it three straight nights. I was wondering how we were going to hold up and beat Earle, but these kids stayed calm and did it. They have the heart of champions.”

Earle opened a 13-5 lead in the first period, but Riverside battled back, scoring the last six points of the stanza, getting a pair of Bean Hoffman buckets sandwiched around Grace Puckett’s basket, slicing the Lady Bulldog lead to 13-11.

Riverside took the lead when Bean Hoffman drilled a three pointer at the 7:21 mark of the second stanza, putting the Lady Rebels on top 14-13. Earle got back to back buckets from Scott to take a 17-14 edge before Riverside went up 19-18 at the half on a three-point Bean Hoffman play.

The Lady Rebels came charging out of the gate in the third quarter and pulled ahead 28-18 at the 4:45 mark. The 9-0 Lady Rebel run was highlighted by Puckett’s triple from the right corner. Earle applied full court pressure, forcing several Riverside turnovers to claw their way back into the game. Scott scored eight straight, including a three pointer at the 1:56 mark, to close the deficit to 33-32. Puckett’s inside basket in the final minute of the quarter gave the Lady Rebels a 35-32 advantage heading into the final frame.

Lotti Hoffman pushed Riverside’s lead to 36-32 by knocking down a free throw to begin the fourth quarter. Earle answered when Elaijaha Brown buried a triple, slicing the Lady Rebel lead to 36-35. Bean and Lotti Hoffman dropped in four consecutive free throws between them to push Riverside ahead by five, 40-35, at the 6:37 mark. Earle rallied when Colbi Maples canned a pair of free throws and drilled a trey, tying the contest at 40-all with 5:57 left. Earle took its first lead since the first half when Scott stuck in an offensive rebound, but Lotti Hoffman evened the game by sinking a pair of foul shots at the 3:32 mark. Tasja Hughey banged home a three pointer from deep in the right corner, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 45-42 advantage with 3:19 to go. Lotti Hoffman, who scored 12 of her team high 17 points in the fourth quarter, put in consecutive baskets to give Riverside a one-point edge, 46-45, with 2:03 showing on the clock. After an Earle miss, Lotti Hoffman was fouled with 57 seconds left. Hoffman sank one of two free throws, giving Riverside a 47-45 lead. Earle tied the game on their next possession when Brown put in Scott’s off balance miss while being fouled at the 29 second mark.

Brown missed the and one, leaving the game tied as Riverside called a timeout with 16 seconds remaining, setting up Hoffman’s game winning basket.

Joining Lotti Hoffman in double figures was Bean Hoffman and Puckett, who finished with 15 and 13 points respectively. Briley Douglas added four points. The Lady Rebels dropped in 14-19 free throws and hit two three pointers.

Scott pumped in a game high 19 points to top Earle while Maples and Brown added nine and eight points respectively. The Lady Bulldogs struggled from the foul stripe, hitting just nine of 18 attempts.

Earle drilled eight treys on the night. The Lady Rebels advanced to the semifinals with a hard fought 50-39 victory over Junction City on Friday night.

Riverside jumped ahead 16-10 after the first period behind the scoring of Puckett. The Lady Rebels maintained a lead in the second quarter and took a 23-19 advantage into the dressing room at intermission. The Lady Dragons fought back behind Jada Archie’s seven points and tied the game 33-33 entering the fourth quarter.

Lotti Hoffman’s three pointer to begin the final frame put Riverside on top to stay, 36-33. Riverside worked its way to the foul stripe over the last 4:30, hitting 10-12 attempts to break the game open.

Lotti Hoffman led Riverside with 19 points while Bean Hoffman pumped in 18 and Puckett had 11. Douglas added two points. The Lady Rebels were 19-22 from the foul line and made three treys, all by Lotti Hoffman.

Archie poured in a game high 20 points to lead Junction City while Kenslee McLelland added 10.

The Lady Dragons sank seven of 11 free throws and drained five three pointers.