ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Feb. 17, 2023) -- Rocky River closed out Great Lakes Conference Tournament consolation action -- and regular-season play -- woth a 51-44 home win over Normandy Friday.

The Pirates (13-9) were outscored in three quarters but still managed their sixth straight win against the Invaders. The Roundball Raiders leveraged a dominant 16-6 second quarter in closing out the 2022-23 regular season with a fourth straight triumph. Three of those four wins came in GLC Tournament consolation play.

The Double-R knocked down a trio of 3-pointers -- two by Jaden Charney and one by Gavin O'Brien -- in that second stanza. For the game, River was outshot 38% to 32%. Aside from that second-period distance barrage, neither team found much success in shooting from beyond the arc or at the free-throw line.

Rebounds were a near-even exchange; the Pirates were a minus-3 in turnovers (16-13).

Standouts for Rocky River were Charney (13 points, three steals), Will DeClerck (12 points, eight rebounds), Julian Patti (8P, 9R, 3S), O'Brien (7P, three assists), and Ryan Ricketti (6P, 6R).

Normandy was led by Tom Krilosky, who went 9-of-15 from the floor in scoring a game-high 20. Jayce Kukral added 6P, 6R, and 4A.  

The Pirates now move on to Buckeye State tournament play. They are the No. 10 seed in DII Region 5 brackets. Rocky River will host a district tournament game -- against either No. 11 East Tech or No. 13 Cleveland Central Catholic -- on Friday. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m.

by Skip Snow

# # # River # # #