Game of the Century Standouts: No. 1 River Ridge-No. 1 Brookwood
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Class 6A No. 1 River Ridge hosted Class 7A No. 1 Brookwood in what would be deemed “The Game of the Century” in college football lingo. The Knights jumped out to a 10-0 lead and would never trail, although the…
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Continue ReadingClass 6A No. 1 River Ridge hosted Class 7A No. 1 Brookwood in what would be deemed “The Game of the Century” in college football lingo. The Knights jumped out to a 10-0 lead and would never trail, although the Broncos would tie the game at 27 going into the half and knot it up at 51 with 3:58 left to play, but River Ridge responded with a 19-8 run to close the game for a 70-59 win.
The Penn-signee dropped 17 of her game-high 26 points in the second half to answer any run Brookwood would piece together. Gayle, who also tallied 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal, was electric with her elusive playmaking. She scored from all three levels throughout the game with her best stretch coming in an 11-point third quarter in which Gayle had a highlight spin move to the rim where she finished with her left hand and subsequently hit a running bank shot as the shot clock expired, netted a three from the corner and then hit a pull-up jumper. Gayle is as good as any guard in the entire state and she proved it again on the big stage.
Highlights
Thrown into the fire tasked with defending Ohio State-signee Diana Collins Diana Collins 5’9″ | PG Brookwood Highschool | 2023 State #24 Nation GA , freshman Makayla Roberson Makayla Roberson 5’9″ | SG River Ridge | 2026 State GA did an exceptional job of holding Collins to 10 points over the first three quarters. Offensively, her added punch to the lineup was huge as Sophia Pearl Sophia Pearl 5’8″ | PG River Ridge | 2025 State GA didn’t get rolling until the second half. Roberson lifted up her fellow underclassman with 10 first half points and 17 total for the game while adding 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Makayla drained three threes and scored with both hands on drives. It was a Seminole moment early on in Roberson’s career. She has a chance to be special and is well on her way to earning D-I offers.
Highlights
Entering action as River Ridge’s leading scorer, Kayla broke through in the fourth quarter with nine of her 16 points. The lefty loves the mid-range jumper from the elbow and has range that expands to the three-point line. Cleaveland provided toughness in the paint, pulling down 5 rebounds and converting through contact for And-1s. Kayla’s offensive skill set is diverse but her defense deserves some credit too. She sacrificed her body taking a charge and played physical against Brookwood’s large frontline. She’s another Knight that should start drawing D-I attention soon.
A double-double machine over the course of her career, the volleyball standout did yeoman’s work on the glass while battling Brookwood’s D-I posts. Sweet didn’t score, but her length and activity were paramount in the Knights winning the glass 42-39. Allie posted 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
Weathersby sat out the first quarter but quickly made up for lost time, immediately changing the complexion of the game as she dominated over the following three quarters with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. The UAB-signee is strong in the paint. Jade scored with spins baseline where she would square her shoulders and muscle her way through the chest of defenders. While she had a power game on the low block, Weathersby also showcased her finesse, knocking down a pair of threes. Defensively, she was a monster blocking every shot tried on her in single coverage. Weathersby is a workhorse with a great future ahead.
It wasn’t her best game but when the game was on the line Diana Collins Diana Collins 5’9″ | PG Brookwood Highschool | 2023 State #24 Nation GA stepped on the gas, scoring 11 of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to pair with her 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Collins got hot from beyond the arc with three three-pointers in the final frame. The Ohio State-signee had a busy night, chasing around Mataya Gayle Mataya Gayle 5’7″ | PG River Ridge | 2023 State GA on defense but had enough reserve in the tank to make a final push with her outside shooting, hitting two of her threes off the dribble.