The breakdown: Riverdale boys down Stewarts Creek for third in 7-AAA

Riverdale used a strong second quarter to build a sizeable lead and held off Stewarts Creek late Tuesday in the District 7-AAA consolation game, earning third place with a 53-49 win at Blackman High School.

The Warriors (12-17) led by 13 at halftime and watched Stewarts Creek (11-19) trim the lead to three several times in the fourth quarter before pulling away with clutch free throw shooting.

Riverdale will be on the road Saturday at 7 in the Region 4-AAA quarterfinals at Lincoln County, the second-place team from 8-AAA. Champion Lawrence County will play host to Stewarts Creek at 7.

Here is a breakdown of the game:

Riverdale boys 53, Stewarts Creek 49

Records: Riverdale 12-17; Stewarts Creek 11-19.

The skinny: It was a battle of zones as Stewarts Creek gave multiple zone looks and Riverdale went with the 1-3-1. Both teams struggled offensively early but the Warriors started answering the Red Hawk defense late in the first period and into the second. Riverdale's Coby Grubbs continued to play well in the postseason, scoring 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

Turning point: Trailing 9-8, Riverdale went on a 17-2 run from the end of the first period until midway through the second period. A Grubbs 3-pointer sparked the rally and he hit two more 3s during that stretch. Riverdale closed out each of the first two periods with buzzer-beating shots, building a 31-18 halftime lead.

Leading scorers: Riverdale: Coby Grubbs 18, Johnathan Matthews 14; Stewarts Creek: Jonathan Pealleaux 13, Tyler Conley 13, Brayden Jackson 11.

Quotable: "We kept attacking (the zone defense) and I thought we did a good job of that. We were struggling finishing shots, especially at the rim. But I thought we were pretty good offensively. We were relentless on the glass." - Riverdale coach Michael Voss.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.