Rivertown Recap: Tigers Repeat on the Court, Shiners Win Cheerleading Competition

Siblings took MVP honors in the same year for the first time in RTC history.

Photos via LHS and Rising Sun Athletics. 

(Aurora, Ind.) - Repeat champions were crowned on the basketball court and a first time outright championship was earned at the cheerleading competition. 

The 24th annual Rivertown Classic took place January 3-6 at South Dearborn High School. 

For the eighth consecutive season and a tournament record ninth time, the Lawrenceburg Lady Tigers cut down the nets. Lawrenceburg held off Rising Sun by a score of 61-51 in the opening round behind 18 points and 9 rebounds from Natalie Knigga, and 14 points each from Aubree Labazzo and Brooklyn Craig. 

The Lady Tigers defeated Switzerland County in the championship game 43-32, once again being led by Natalie Knigga with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Kamryn Ferreira added 10 points and 9 rebounds and Brooklyn Craig chipped in with 9 points.

That trio would earn All-Tournament honors with Knigga being named MVP. She shared a special moment with her dad, Ryan, who handed her the MVP trophy before joining the Eagle Country 99.3 broadcast. Knigga shared the key to her recent string of great play and what it means to be Rivertown MVP.

“I’ve been focusing on going off two feet, and getting myself under control going up. It’s very special to me and it means a lot. I couldn’t do it without my team and they just feed me the ball even when I’m not hot.”

The rest of the all-tournament team included Alyssa Simpson (Rising Sun), Courtney Higgins (SC), Halle Archer (SC), and Natalie Cantrell (SD). 

On Saturday night, Lawrenceburg won the boys tournament with a 54-36 win over Switzerland County. It was the Tigers' second Rivertown Classic Championship in a row and record 10th RTC title. 

The Tigers were led in the championship game by tournament MVP Noah Knigga, who had 17 points and 4 rebounds. He totaled 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in an opening round win against Rising Sun. 

By winning MVP on Saturday, Noah and Natalie Knigga became the first pair of siblings to win MVP at the Rivertown in the same season.

“I had to defend Cam Craig pretty well if we knew we were going to win the game, and I think we did that for all four quarters," said Knigga in a postgame interview on Eagle Country 99.3. “I give all the credit to my teammates. They push me everyday in practice and they facilitate a lot for me. It’s just a team game and I though we played together.”

Huge congratulations to my favorite duo, Natalie for clinching MVP on Friday night and Noah taking home the MVP honor on Saturday night! Super proud of both of you and your teams for securing the Rivertown Championship! 🏀🏆@KniggaNoah @NatalieTiger8 pic.twitter.com/6U10PoZcR4

— Staci Knigga (@StaciKnigga) January 7, 2024

Knigga was joined on the All-Tourney team by Cooper Bobo (LB), Charlie Meyer (LB), Cam Craig (SC), Brodie Teke (SD), and Brody Morris (RS). 

Rising Sun was crowned champion at the Cheerleading Competition on Saturday afternoon. It was their first outright win in Rivertown Classic history. The Shiners previously tied South Dearborn in 2009.