South Dearborn Boys, Lawrenceburg Girls Set for Title Defenses at the Rivertown

Eagle Country 99.3 will broadcast all eight games from the Rivertown Jan. 4-7.

(Aurora, Ind.) - The 23rd annual Rivertown Classic takes place this week at South Dearborn High School. 

The South Dearborn boys come into the tournament as the two-time defending champions, while the Lawrenceburg Lady Tigers are seeking their 7th consecutive Rivertown title. 

The girls tournament will tip-off on Wednesday, January 4. 

South Dearborn (4-13) will play Switzerland County (9-5) in game one at 6:00 p.m. Lawrenceburg (8-6) will begin their title defense against Rising Sun (7-6) in game two. 

*Sagarin stats via www.johnharrell.net

South Dearborn currently holds the record for the most RTC titles in girls tournament history with eight. Lawrenceburg could tie that mark if they cut down the nets for a seventh consecutive time. 

For South Dearborn, they are seeking their first RTC championship since 2013. The Lady Knights last appeared in the championship game in 2019. 

Switzerland County has made it to the championship game in each of the last three years, but have not won the RTC since 2016 when current Lady Pacers head coach Brooke Todd was a senior and tournament MVP.

Rising Sun has never won the RTC and is looking to get back to the championship game for the first time since 2015. 

Players to Watch

South Dearborn - Have won three of their last four, including a 3rd place finish at the Edinburgh Tournament

Natalie Rupp  - Leading scorer and rebounder at 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. 
Natalie Cantrell - Averaging nearly 8.0 points and 3.0 steals per game.

Switzerland County - 5-2 record over the last month, and winners of three of their last four

Halle Archer, Courtney Higgins, Bri Stow, Macy Collier  - The four combine for 36.1 of the 47 PPG the Lady Pacers average.

Lawrenceburg - Lost four of last five games, including a 1-2 effort at the Triton Central Tournament

Lizzie Redar - Walking double-double at 13.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game
Natalie Knigga - Upped her scoring output as of late (8.3 PPG) and a big help on the boards (5.1 RPG).
Aubree Labazzo, Brooklyn Craig - Freshman guards have been impressive, combining for 17 PPG. Both can shoot it from 3 (35 & 43%, respectively). 

Rising Sun - 2-5 since the start of December after 5-1 start to the season

Alyssa Simpson - Another double-double machine at 10.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Baylee Morris - Tons of varsity experience, averaging 11.0 PPG. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The boys tournament begins on Thursday, January 5. 

South Dearborn (8-3) and Switzerland County (5-5) will play game one at 6:00 p.m., followed by Lawrenceburg (6-3) and Rising Sun (4-5) in game two. 

South Dearborn is seeking their third consecutive RTC title. 

Last year, the Knights defeated Lawrenceburg in the championship game by a score of 39-23. The 62 combined points nearly set the record for the fewest points in a boys title game. The record is 57, which was set in 2012 (SD 36, L'Burg 21). 

With South Dearborn's championship win a year ago, the Knights reclaimed the record for most RTC championships with nine. If Lawrenceburg wins the title this year, they would tie the record. The Tigers once dominated the RTC winning five of six championships between 2015 and 2020. 

Rising Sun last won in 2019, their first and only RTC championship. Switzerland County has not cut down the nets since 2014. 

*Sagarin stats via www.johnharrell.net

Players to Watch

South Dearborn - 6-2 over the last month of play, finished 3rd at the Morristown Tournament

Ryan Willoughby - 23.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 3.0 SPG. Has grown from a defensive stopper to an all-around player. You won't find many that play harder than Willoughby. 
Brodie Teke - Averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. 

Switzerland County - Have won three of last four, lost in the JCIT Championship against Southwestern (Hanover)

Jacob Williams - Has really stepped up in the absence of Cam Craig. Williams is averaging 17 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game
Canaan Johnson - Good size and length. Provides scoring punch at 9.1 PPG.

Lawrenceburg - Winners of four of their last five. Went 3-1 at the Bob Wittig Tournament

Logan Rohrer - Has been more consistent after a slow start to the season. 11.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG
Cooper Bobo - Averaging 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Rising Sun - Won four of six after 0-3 start

Dylan Martin - 15.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.2 SPG
Brady Works - 12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG

Eagle Country 99.3 will broadcast all eight games from the Rivertown Classic. Our coverage is presented by Ivy Tech Community College. Get started with Ivy Tech at www.ivytech.edu.

Coverage will begin at 5:55 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 

The Cheer Competition will be held Saturday at noon. South Dearborn is the defending champion.