ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Rocky River, but on Saturday against a solid Padua Bruins five, the Pirates shot their way around the miscues en route to a 56-44 victory at Rocky River Gymnasium. And the key buckets for the Maroon & White were drained either from distance or the charity stripe.

River worked its way around 23 turnovers by hitting 10 3-pointers and by outscoring Padua, 14-3, at the free-throw line. Senior guard Charlie Hudson paced the Pirate effort with three triples and a 6-for-6 game at the stripe. Hudson clocked a 21-point game to lead the Roundball Raiders to their first win since Dec. 11.

The Pirates led, 15-7, by the end of the first quarter and 30-18 by halftime. Rocky River got going from beyond the arc in the second stanza when Hudson and company went 4-of-5.

A Tommy Bebie trey early in the third extended the Double-R lead to 15 points (35-20). Bebie hit two triples as part of a 13-point, six-rebound afternoon at the Corner of Wagar & Detroit. 

Only an 8-0 Padua run mid-fourth would threaten a double-digit lead the rest of the way for the Pirates who, as a team, went 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three-point-land. At the foul line, Rocky River went 14-of-21 (66.7%); the Bruins got the stripe just eight times, converting on three (37.5%).

From the floor, River (40%) and Padua (38.8%) appeared to be close in the box score, but in effective field-goal percentage -- which weights 2s and 3s appropriately -- the Pirates outshot the Bruins, 53% to 42%. Over its last two games, the Double-R is now 20-of-44 (45.5%) from distance.

David Rice led a Padua (3-4) team which was coming off a fine 74-59 win over Avon Lake on Wednesday and which went into the contest averaging 61.8 points per game. Rice logged 11 poits, five boards and three steals.

For Rocky River, Hudson's line included nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Braedon Spies added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Nathan Robertson had eight points. Robertson, Hudson, Spies, and Bebie all conected on multiple treys.

Rocky River (2-3) finished the game as a minus-5 in turnovers, committing 23 against Padua's 18. With 23 turnovers on Saturday, the Pirates have now been tagged with 71 miscues over their last three games. For the season, River is averaging 22.4 turnovers per game -- that's up from last season's 14.7 average.