By GARY DOVE
for the Daily Telegraph
WELCH — Mount View used a strong third quarter to nudge ahead of visiting River View for keeps Tuesday night at the Castle and stayed in command the remainder of the contest to take a 50-47 win over the Lady Raiders.
Prior to a Keisha Johnson three midway through the third period that marked the sixth, and final, lead change of the game, there had been half a dozen ties in the McDowell County battle.
Johnson captured game scoring honors with 22 points, including 15 in the second half, with 9 of those coming on trifectas.
River View senior Kiersten Dority, playing with a face mask to protect a broken nose she suffered ten days ago against James Monroe, led the Lady Raiders with 12 points, while sophomore Katie Dobbs followed with 10.
River View held a slim 29-27 lead with 4:37 showing in the third after Rebekah Christian knocked down one-of-two free throws.
After that, Johnson bombed the trey for the 30-29 Mount View lead, followed by a three by Kenisha Swanson and a Jasmine Lash deuce from a Johnson assist to expand that lead to six.
When the chapter ended, the Lady Knights had outscored their guests 19-13 in the frame, erasing a 22-20 halftime advantage.
Swanson, a junior, came off the bench in that period to score all five of her points, but also gave her teammates an inspirational boost with her hustle.
Chantel Vineyard sank a free throw, followed by a Tamia Joyce three from the front to open the fourth, boosting Mount View to its largest lead of the night, at 43-35.
Dority scored six of her dozen points in the fourth, as River View closed the gap to two points twice before falling 50-47.
Lady Raider head coach Gehrig Justice talked about Mount View’s seven three-pointers as decisive in the loss, “They hit too many threes. And we didn’t make our foul shots.”
River View made but 8-of-19 free throws, and was 2-for-9 in the fourth.
The Lady Raiders, now 6-4, have dropped three straight games. They will visit James Monroe Saturday in the first half of a boys’-girls’ doubleheader.
Mount View head coach Harold Smith also spoke about missed foul shots, but alluded to his own team’s inability to make them, “If we had made 70 percent of our free throws and taken care of the ball like I thought we would have, the game should have never been that close.”
Smith continued, “I said to the girls, ‘I’m happy you won, but I’m not happy with the way you played.’”
The Lady Knights are 4-2 and will host PikeView Thursday evening.

at the Castle
RIVER VIEW (47)
Jasmine Benton 2, Kiersten Roberts 9, Paige Cooper 4, Kiersten Dority 12, Rebekah Christian 4, Lindsay Meade 6, Katie Dobbs 10. Totals 19 8-19 47.
MOUNT VIEW (50)
Tamia Joyce 9, Keisha Johnson 22, Destiny Robertson 2, Kaitlyn Gillespie 3, Jasmine Lash 8, Kenisha Swanson 5, Chantel Vineyard 1. Totals 17 9-20 50.
River View.......................8 14 13 12 — 47
Mount View.....................11 9 19 11 — 50
3-point goals: RV 1 (Roberts), MV 7 (K. Johnson 3, Lash 2, Joyce 1, Swanson 1). Fouled out: RV None, MV Robertson.