Riverside tops Montrose, advances in Class 3A girls basketball

Fourth-seeded Lady Vikes earn quarterfinal victory, will face No. 1 Dunmore in semifinals

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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Riverside High School's girls basketball team defeated Montrose 46-32 in the District 2 Class 3A quarterfinal on Tuesday. The fourth-seeded Lady Vikes jumped out to an early double-digit lead with four 3-pointers in the first quarter and their defense held Montrose to a tough shooting night. Faith Pavalonis led Riverside with 17 points, five assists and three steals, while Caitie Beecham added 12 points and eight rebounds. Riverside will face top-seeded Dunmore in the semifinals on Friday.

Why it matters

Riverside's victory over Montrose advances them to the District 2 Class 3A semifinals, where they will face the top-seeded Dunmore Lady Bucks. This matchup pits two of the top teams in the district against each other, with Dunmore having won the first two meetings between the teams this season. The winner will move on to the district championship game.

The details

Riverside jumped out to an 18-8 lead after the first quarter, hitting four 3-pointers to stake themselves to the early advantage. Their defense then held Montrose to just 12-of-48 shooting from the field, including 4-of-23 from 3-point range. Riverside's Mikaela Smith did a strong job defensively on Montrose's leading scorer, Sadie Jones, limiting her to just seven points through the first 31.5 minutes. Riverside's balanced scoring attack saw Faith Pavalonis, Caitie Beecham, Kiley Williams, and Cassidy Merrifield all make key contributions.

  • The District 2 Class 3A quarterfinal game was played on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
  • Riverside will face Dunmore in the semifinals on Friday, February 21, 2026.

The players

Faith Pavalonis

A key player for Riverside, scoring 17 points, dishing out 5 assists, and recording 3 steals in the quarterfinal victory.

Caitie Beecham

Contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds for Riverside in the win.

Kiley Williams

Grabbed 8 rebounds and added 6 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals for Riverside.

Sadie Jones

Montrose's leading scorer, was held in check by Riverside's defense, scoring just 7 points through the first 31.5 minutes.

Jamie Armillay

Riverside's head coach, praised his team's defensive effort and balanced scoring attack in the victory.

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What they’re saying

“Anytime you can win in the playoffs, it's great. Credit to Montrose. That's a tough team, they never quit. They have a lot of athletes that force you to play all 32 minutes. I'm thrilled for our girls. It was a total team win. We won the offensive side of the ball. We won the defensive side of the ball. We had good energy today and to me that was the biggest difference. We played as a family today and good things happen when that happens.”

— Jamie Armillay, Riverside head coach (The Times-Tribune)

“We had a bad shooting night last week, so we knew we had to get back into a rhythm. We just came out with high intensity and fed off each other's energy. We hit shots, got to the basket and did what we needed to do.”

— Faith Pavalonis, Riverside player (The Times-Tribune)

“We drove to the basket and if we didn't have it, we would just kick it. We looked for each other. If someone was open, we would find them. It was just a good team game.”

— Caitie Beecham, Riverside player (The Times-Tribune)

What’s next

Riverside will face top-seeded Dunmore in the District 2 Class 3A semifinals on Friday, February 21, 2026. The winner will advance to the district championship game.

The takeaway

Riverside's balanced scoring attack and stifling defense propelled them to a convincing quarterfinal victory over Montrose, setting up a highly anticipated semifinal matchup with powerhouse Dunmore. The Lady Vikes will need another strong team effort to knock off the top-seeded Lady Bucks and keep their season alive.