Riverside’s Fieldhouse can be a tough place for visiting teams to play, with the deep backdrops behind the baskets, a feeling that the crowd is right on top of you, and the Beavers’ spirit band playing during timeouts, making for almost a college-type environment. Then again, in the 2025-2026 season, Kenston has been a tough team to play, no matter where the game is held. The visiting Bombers fell behind Riverside, 17-7, in the first quarter, but battled back to tie it halftime, and took control for good in the third quarter on the way to a 65-59 victory. Kenston, which has two juniors and three sophomores in its starting lineup, improved to an impressive 10-2 on the season, and stayed undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the Western Reserve Conference at 3-0. Four players finished in double figures for the Bombers, paced by junior Hunter Yates with 16 points. Sophomore Luke Stupica added 15, junior Eli Ellis chipped in with 14, and sophomore Khalil Hinton tallied 10. @BoyKenstonbball junior Hunter Yates, who led four Bombers in double figures with 16 points, breaks down Kenston’s 65-59 WRC win at Riverside pic.twitter.com/uxOtUdIRgM — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) January 17, 2026 “We started out flat on defense,” Yates said. “We were giving up fast break layups and weren’t getting back on defense. As the game went on, we started crashing the boards on offense and boxing out on defense. “That helped us a lot, and we got a lot of second-chance opportunities in the second half.” Kenston's Hunter Yates reacts during a 65-59 win at Riverside on Jan. 16. (Brian Fisher - for The News-Herald) Riverside senior Drew Brown put on a show for the home fans, scoring a game-high 26 points. He scored 11 of those points in the first quarter, as the Beavers took it to the visitors early. Kenston regrouped and battled back with a 9-0 run in the second quarter to pull within 17-16. A putback by Riverside junior David Siebert and consecutive buckets by junior J’Ayvion Kyser pushed the Beavers’ lead out to 23-16. But Kenston closed out the half with a 9-2 run to forge a 25-25 tie, making the hosts pay for turnovers and scoring in transition or working the ball inside in the halfcourt. Riverside (8-6, 2-1 WRC) started the third quarter with a 7-0 run on a 3 by senior Palmer Hanlin and back-to-back baskets by Brown. But Kenston answered with a 14-2 run to take its first lead of the game, and the Bombers never gave it back. Kenston limited the Beavers to one shot attempt per possession during the run, and grabbed six boards on the offensive end, cashing in on most of those with a score. The Bombers did a great job of playing through contact, getting to the free-throw line 27 times, although they only converted 12 of those opportunities. Kenston stayed out of foul trouble itself and was equally adept at sharing the ball on offense, with many of its baskets coming on the end of an assist. Down, 43-38, entering the fourth quarter, Riverside put together a spirited effort to try to retake the lead, and Brown scored nine of his points in that frame. But Kenston was equal to the task, managing to extend its lead to eight points twice in the quarter. A triple by Riverside sophomore Luke Fox brought the Beavers with 63-59 with 12 seconds left, but they missed a shot on their next trip down the floor, and Ellis sank two from the line to end it. @BoyKenstonbball Coach Josh Jakacki discusses the Bombers’ 65-59 win at WRC foe Riverside and impressive 10-2 start to the season pic.twitter.com/piyNs3Etfx — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) January 17, 2026 “We came out a little lethargic,” said Kenston coach Josh Jakacki, who is in his second stint coaching the Bombers. “I thought we had some early momentum, then they scored 10 straight points. “I’m very pleased with the fact that they didn’t fold. They battled through adversity and showed the type of competitors that they are. I was really happy with the way we showed our composure late, especially when they started picking up the pressure.” One would have to go back 11 years, to the 2014-15 season, which happened to be the last year of Jakacki’s first run with the Bombers, to find the last time Kenston was 10-2. That Kenston team finished 18-4, and won the Chagrin Division of the Chagrin Valley Conference. “We’ll take it, but like we told the kids after the game, the season is a marathon,” Jakacki said. “Right now this has afforded us some breathing room, but we know that we have a tough stretch of games coming up in the conference.” Kenston will host neighborhood rival West Geauga next on Jan. 20. Riverside coach Matt Cardina said his team had some trouble handling Kenston’s defensive pressure, missed too many opportunities at the offensive end, and let the game slip away in the third quarter. “We were little anxious (on offense) and just didn’t take our time,” Cardina said. “On the defensive end, we gave up a lot of rebounds, especially in the third quarter. They scored 18 points in the third quarter, and I would say half of those were off of free throw makes or they would get the rebound and score.” Kyser added nine points for Riverside, and Hanlin had seven. Riverside has a week off before traveling to North on Jan. 23. @BvrBball Coach Matt Cardina goes over Riverside’s 65-59 loss to Kenston pic.twitter.com/itgd3eOo60 — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) January 17, 2026 “Turnovers obviously hurt us, and defensive rebounding and free throws,” Cardina said of his message to the team afterwards. “We have some big guys, and we need to win those (rebounding) battles. “Kenston went 12 of 27 on free throws, which means there were a lot of opportunities for rebounds, and we have to get those.” THE SCORE Kenston 65, Riverside 59 ...read more read less