Nationally-ranked Columbus rallies to beat Riviera Prep in battle of defending champs
Even as talented as Columbus’ nationally-ranked basketball team is, it can sometimes struggle to find consistency on the court.
It showed on Friday night when the Explorers struggled for three quarters against another reigning state champion from South Florida in Riviera Prep.
But in the fourth quarter, Columbus recaptured its identity with unselfish play and tighter defense and rallied for a 62-44 victory over the Bulldogs at the Miami-Dade Kendall campus gym.
“We just have to build off these games and see what we need to do to get better,” said Columbus guard Jax Richardson, who finished with 11 points and three blocks. “We played sloppy in the first half and we just kept talking to each other to pick it up and we got it done.”
The Explorers (14-3), ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps, are chasing their fourth consecutive state championship and potentially more as they continue to navigate through a challenging slate riddled with top competition from around the country.
Against Riviera Prep (9-5), Columbus faced another program, which is in the midst of a state championship run as the Bulldogs are chasing their third in a row.
After an opening night loss to Prolific Prep, Columbus won 13 in a row before losing back-to-back games against nationally-ranked Long Island Lutheran and Link Academy in the Jordan Brand Classic.
Following a 12-day break, the Explorers found themselves in a dogfight with Riviera Prep heading into the final period despite a strong first quarter.
After trailing 26-13 in the second quarter, Riviera Prep pushed the Explorers to the limit led by Myles Fuentes’ 12 points and took a 38-35 lead into the final period.
Columbus stymied the Bulldogs from that point on, outscoring them 27-6 over the final eight minutes.
After shooting 13 of 34 (38 percent) over the first three quarters, the Explorers shot 9 of 10 in the final period and shared the ball better with eight of their 11 assists coming in the fourth.
“We finally started getting some stops,” Columbus coach Andrew Moran said. “If we want to have success the rest of the season we have to get stops and play good defense or we’ll be in trouble. Most of the game I thought they wanted it more than we did. We kept it close and were able to pull away in the fourth. We needed a break to rest our legs and get our minds ready.”
Duke commits Cameron and Cayden Boozer led Columbus once again in scoring. Cameron finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals while Cayden had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“What we did in the fourth quarter is how we have to play all the time and we got away from that a little bit,” Cameron Boozer said. “The first few quarters we were just playing like (we thought) we were better than them, but in that last quarter we got back to who we were. The past few years have made us good in those situations and that’s why we blew it open in the fourth.”
The Explorers will host Miami Coral Park in a homecoming game on Wednesday before playing in the Hoophall Classic on Jan. 18-20.
Riviera Prep saw flashes of the depth it will need if it is to secure a “three-peat” this season. Freshman Laron Mack Jr. led the Bulldogs with eight rebounds and Jeremy Jenkins also contributed nine points. Riviera Prep will take on another reigning state champion next as it travels to Weston to face Sagemont on Monday night. The Bulldogs took some solace in the fact they played their most competitive games in recent years against Columbus.
“We did something today we hadn’t done in the past against them which was to punch them in the mouth because usually we have slow starts against them,” Riviera Prep coach Anthony Shahbaz said. “We went into the fourth quarter with a chance. They’re a really good team and you can’t give them that many opportunities with the turnovers and second chance points. We started to get a little lazy with our passes and attention to detail and they put us away.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM.
