ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Feb. 11, 2025) -- The Pirates earned a victory for the fourth time in their last five games, as Rocky River defeated John F. Kennedy 84-67 in Tuesday-night non-conference action at the Corner of Wagar & Detroit.
The Brethren of the North Coast leveraged an 18-4 run bridging the first and second periods and shot the ball well from the perimeter, as they scored their most points in a single game in the last 15 years. Danny Berg (18 points, seven assists), Jacob Radcliffe (23P, seven rebounds), and Michael Swallow (17P, 10R, 4A) paced the Pirate attack.
In a loose game loaded with back-and-forth attempts up the floor, both sides filed turnovers on more-than-20% of their possessions and offensive rebounds on more-than-a-quarter of their misses from the field. The contest included 50 3-point attempts, 42 free-throw attempts, 45 points off turnovers, 32 second-chance points, and 31 points in transition.
From the field, Rocky River (13-7) outshot the Eagles 50% to 41%. Both sides tripled nine times; River's 9-of-21 (42.9%) mark from beyond the arc was paced by Radcliffe's 4-of-7 and Berg's 2-of-2. The Pirates out-rebounded JFK 38-28, and the Buccaneers' 19 second-chance points marked a season-high.
The Double-R continued a recent trends of making frequent visits to the charity stripe. Led by Swallow's 8-for-8 performance, the Pirates went 15-of-19 (78.9%) at the free-throw line. Over their first 13 games this season, the Maroon & White registered 11 attempts per game at the foul line. In seven games since, the Pirates have made an average of 15.4 visits to the stripe. River went into Tuesday's game shooting 69% on free throws.
With his 23 points, Jacob Radcliffe has now scored 20-plus in four of Rocky River's last five games. He has filed nine 20-point games this season, and his season average of 19 points per game is the highest for RRHS since Jack Corrigan logged 22.8 PPG in 2015-16.
Berg -- who scored 15 points against Kennedy last season (62-44 RRHS win on Feb. 17) -- netted a season-high with his 18. Swallow, who went into Tuesday's tilt averaging 11.5 PPG, has now scored 51 points over his last three games.
Damairus Logan, Jr., tallied 23P, 11R, and 5A for the Eagles. The’chaunn Brooks logged 17P and three steals.
Tuesday's contest at Rocky River Gymnasium marked the first of three straight home games to close out the Pirates' 2024-25 regular-season campaign. The Sons of Blackbeard -- now 7-2 at home this season and 16-4 in their last 20 games at the Pirate Palestra -- will host Normandy Friday at 7 p.m. That contest will mark River's Senior Night.
CANNON FIRE ...
BRACKET ASSIGNMENT: One-hundred-and-thirty-seven DIII programs will open Buckeye State tournament play the week of Feb. 17. Rocky River will be one of 53 teams competing in the Northeast District in DIII. There are six Northeast District brackets; RRHS is assigned to NE District 4. The Sons of Blackbeard have earned the No. 14 seed in the Northeast; they will open tournament play at No. 8 Gilmour on Feb. 22 (7 p.m.).
LOOSE TWINE: From Jan. 7-24, the Pirates registered three losses in which they scored fewer-than seven points off turnovers. Over its last five games, Rocky River has averaged 15.6 PPG off opponent miscues. ... On Tuesday, John F. Kennedy recorded 25 points off 19 River turnovers. ... Rocky River's game-by-game account of scores dates back to the 2010-11 season. In that statistical era, the Pirates' 84 scored Tuesday stands as the most.
by Skip Snow
# # # RR # # #