Pittsfield overwhelmed by 23 first-half turnovers as Riverton cruises to easy victory in Voshall Gym

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The final score was deceiving.

The Pittsfield boys basketball team suffered a 57-36 loss to Riverton on Friday night in Voshall Gym, but the Saukees had to outscore the Hawks 14-2 in the final quarter to make the score look less like the blowout than it actually was.

Pittsfield (4-3) turned the ball over eight times while Riverton raced to a 13-2 lead in the first 4½ minutes. A 3-pointer by Connor Sweeting stopped the bleeding momentarily, but Riverton ripped off nine straight points — with Carter Miller capping the run with back-to-back steals for layups.

The Saukees didn’t get to the free-throw line in the first half until three seconds remained on the second quarter clock. They missed 11 out of 15 shots in the first half and turned the ball over 23 times, while the Hawks used a late 11-point run to go ahead 37-12 at halftime.

Riverton didn’t let up in the third quarter, leading by as many as 35 points before clearing the bench.

Sweeting scored eight points for Pittsfield, which finished with 32 turnovers. Julian Rice had 18 points for Riverton (7-1), and Miller contributed 15.