CHESHIRE - Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky?

Not the River Valley boys basketball team, which ended a four-game losing streak Friday with a dramatic 86-81 overtime victory over Rock Hill in Ohio Valley Conference action.

The host Raiders (5-6, 2-3) battled through 15 lead changes and five ties to end regulation nodded at 73, then never trailed in the extra session to secure the Silver and Black's first triumph of 2006.

RVHS outscored the Redmen (5-6, 2-3) 13-8 over the final four minutes, including a 7-of-13 effort from the charity stripe. The hosts also sank 27-of-43 free throws in the game, had 10 less turnovers and held a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Those little extras went a long way in off-setting the Red and White's 60 percent (30-for-50) shooting performance, and River Valley coach Gene Layton thought intangibles played a large role in the outcome.

“The kids played with more emotion than they have played with in quite some time, and I saw them communicating with each other on the floor,” he said. “Those were some of the keys to this win.”

RVHS trailed by as many as eight (49-41) with 3:14 remaining in the third period, then led by as much as four (64-60) with 5:17 left in regulation.

Nathan Davenport capped a 13-9 Rock Hill run to end regulation when his offensive rebound and putback tied the score at 73 with 15 seconds remaining.

In the extra frame, Bryan Morrow and Jason Jones combined for five quick points to give the hosts a 78-73 lead with less than two minutes left.

Derek Robinson nailed a trifecta at 1:26 to trim the lead to two, but a 5-2 run from the foul line gave River Valley an 83-78 edge with 30.2 seconds remaining.

Aaron Butler pulled Rock Hill back to within two following a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, but that was as close as the Redmen would get.

Ryan Henry, who took a key charge with 33 seconds left, sealed the deal on the win with an offensive rebound and putback with 15 seconds showing for an 85-81 lead. Cory Ehman sank a free throw with 7.4 seconds to conclude the scoring.

For a team that entered Friday on a four-game skid, River Valley sure played with a lot of confidence and pride down the stretch.

Layton was definitely glad to see the extra effort finally get rewarded.

“It's been tough through this streak. Practices have been tough and we've tried to stay positive as a group,” he commented. “The kids have continued to work hard, and tonight, it paid off. That's a good sign from a young team.”

RVHS had eight players reach the scoring column, led by a career-high 29 points from Jones. The junior scored 16 of those in the second quarter and hit six 3-pointers in the win. Jones also led the Raiders with three steals.

Morrow followed with 19 points, 11 of which came from the charity stripe, and added a team-high eight assists, while Michael Cordell chipped in 13 markers and eight rebounds to the triumph.

Henry led the hosts with nine caroms and also contributed eight points. Scot Ward added six points and four rebounds.

Christian paced RHHS with 19 points, five assists and four steals, while Matt Matney followed with 15. Both Davenport and Mike Ison added 12 apiece in the setback. Davenport also led the guests with nine rebounds.

River Valley finished the game 26-of-62 from the field for 42 percent, including a 7-of-22 effort from behind the arc.

Rock Hill hit six of its nine trifectas, but only sank 15-of-28 free throw opportunities.

The Redmen led all but the opening 45 seconds of the third period, but never reclaimed the lead after the 4:36 mark of the fourth.

The Raiders improve to 1-1 in overtime contests this season. The hosts also led the game nine times Friday, while Rock Hill was out in front seven times.

River Valley claimed a sweep with a 54-42 victory in the junior varsity tilt. Ian Lewis led the Raiders with 16 points, with Ryan Eggleton following closely behind with 14 in the triumph.

Zach Zornes and Tyler Kirkpatrick each had 10 points in a losing effort for Rock Hill. The hosts led 22-21 at halftime.

RVHS returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Albany to take on Alexander for a non-conference contest. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.