Playoff nest kind to Eagles

Hennessey’s road through the playoffs to this point has been a short one.

All three of the Eagles’ postseason contests have taken place in the friendly confines of the Eagle Event Center.

That included Saturday night’s 53-44 handling of No. 11 Riverside in a Class 2A regional title game.

The Eagles built up a 14-point lead through three quarters, enough to withstand an offensive surge by the Indians in the fourth.

Fourth-ranked Hennessey (23-3) is now just one win shy of a second consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament.

The Eagles get their first shot at 7:30 p.m. Friday against No. 5 Preston.

That game will take place in Cleveland, the site of the area tournament.

If Hennessey falls short against the Pirates, they’ll get another crack at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the area consolation championship.

Three Eagles reached double figures and a fourth just missed it against Riverside.

Jael Torres and Camdyn Richardson combined for all 15 points in the first quarter as the Eagles got a nine-point lead built up.

They extended it to 27-14 at halftime.

Riverside began to heat up offensively beginning in the third quarter, but Richardson’s five points helped Hennessey extend its lead by a point.

Riverside managed three 3-pointers through the first three quarters, but knocked down four of them in the fourth quarter.

But Torres and Hunter Weber scored five apiece to help the Eagles maintain a bulk of their lead.

Torres finished the night with 17 points.

Richardson scored 16 and Weber 10.

Richardson’s big night helped him surpass 1,000 career points.

James Sims contributed eight.

Preston enters area with a 24-4 mark.

The Pirates beat No. 14 Christian Heritage 67-51 for their regional championship and have won 11 straight.