The Riverbend Bears basketball season is five games in and the Boys varsity team has a respectable record of 3-2. The Bears have beaten many good teams and played competitively despite moving up to the 6A division this year. Early season reports foretold that Riverbend Basketball would not be as good as last year. The 12-13 Bears dominated and made it to the first round of regionals, which is a big deal to live up to. But so far this year’s team has defied the previews and come out strong in the first five games.

On December 11^th, Riverbend played Forrest Park at home. The game was really close in the first quarter but a slight momentum shift brought the bears an increasingly large lead. Mike Holmes, a senior, was on his game in three-point land, scoring 18 points. Buck Buchanon racked up rebounds down under and put a few back up for 10 points. Zach Sims, a junior, had quite a few assists on the day. The whole team stayed fired up for the entire game and one could definitely tell the Bears have the passion to win. Forest Park was not an easy team to beat, either. They have always been a competitive team in their district and represent 6A talent well. The final score was 57-45.

Even their losses were close. The two losses were by C.D. Hylton and Stafford Highschool. Each time they only lost by four points. Both schools have always had good basketball teams, so the fact that the games were close gives Riverbend hope in the 6A conference.

Also notable, Riverbend’s very own 6^th Man was in attendance with custom made matching shirts. Two seniors, Eric Byrd and Anthony Burke, are to credit for the shirts. They feature a bear claw with “Our House” on the front and a large number 6 with “Riverbend’s Sixth Man” on the back.  They are all black, to make the student section appear “blacked out.” The section was extremely loud on Wednesday, with many chants. A few fans even had to be removed by administration for being a little too ‘spirited.’ All in all, the 6^th Man brought intensity and emotion into the gym for the game.

Riverbend Basketball has proven they will be as competitive as ever despite moving up to 6A, and will definitely be worth watching in the future!