Etiwanda rallies in second half to win Riverside Kiwanis Tournament

RIVERSIDE >> The shots from the perimeter were not dropping for the Etiwanda boys basketball team during the first half Friday evening, so the Eagles used a different approach to spark the offense after halftime.

Etiwanda constantly attacked the basket in the second half, resulting in good looks near the basket and trips to the free-throw line. The Eagles took the lead midway through the third quarter and pulled away for a 49-38 victory over Riverside Poly in the championship game of the 39th Riverside Kiwanis Tournament.

“We decided to switch things up a little bit after halftime and just be more aggressive at the offense end,” Etiwanda assistant coach Daniel Ryan said. “We flattened things out and set some more ball screens, That really began to open up some better opportunities, and we were able to take advantage of those chances.”

Christian Harris finished with 16 points and six rebounds to lead the way for Etiwanda. Amare Campbell, who was chosen the MVP of the tournament had 11 points, and Curtis Williams added 10 points and five rebounds for the Eagles.

Etiwanda (9-1) and Riverside Poly (9-4) are both known for their prowess on defense, and that resulted in the low scoring total Friday night. The teams combined make only 28 of 77 shots (36.4%) throughout the game.

Poly showed grit early and held the lead for the majority of the first half. The Bears held Etiwanda scoreless for stretches of 4 minutes and 48 seconds and 6 minutes and 7 seconds in the half and led 2018 at halftime.

Poly played without top scorer Chris Holland (illness), and James Croy also was feeling under the weather.

“We’re still a very inexperienced bunch right now, but the kids are giving everything they have each game,” Poly coach Travis Showalter said. “Hopefully tough games like this will pay off for us later in the season.”

Williams had a pair of and-ones on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, and Campbell added a third one to give Etiwanda a 27-25 advantage with 5:07 remaining in the period. A fourth and-one from Harris in the opening minute of the fourth quarter punctuated an 18-4 run that gave the Eagles a 3627 lead.

Etiwanda shot only two free throws in the first half, but the Eagles went 13-20 at the stripe after the break

“The threes weren’t dropping like usual, so we had to start going to the basket,” said Harris, who was chosen to the all-tournament team along with Campbell and Williams. “We don’t mind playing that aggressive style.”

The aggression didn’t always pay off for the Eagles, however, as Poly players drew six charges in the game.

Etiwanda’s defensive pressure, which has earned the program the nickname “Clamp City” once gain was in top form Friday. The Eagles forced Poly into committing 19 turnovers, 14 of them coming in the second half.

“That defensive tenacity has always been an Etiwanda staple and that is never going to go away,” Ryan said.

Croy scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including nine in the final period, to lead the way for Poly. Kory Dodson and Austin Woolfolk each scored six points, and Cian Phipps had a game-high seven rebounds.