MORENO VALLEY — It wasn’t a matter of if but when. Riverside Poly boys basketball coach Travis Showalter knew that Rancho Verde would make their run on Tuesday night in a key Ivy League matchup. And sure enough, the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run later in the third period  ton cut an 11-point lead to one. However, with just under 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Poly’s James “Jrob” Croy connected on a step-back 3-pointer from the left wing to keep the Bears in front. Poly kept Rancho Verde at bay in the fourth period and prevailed by a final score of 61-52. Poly (11-7 overall, 2-0 in league) was led by Chris Holland’s 26 points and received 21 more points from Croy. “Rancho Verde is a great team and we knew runs were coming but our guys did a really nice job of responding to them when they happened,” Bears coach Travis Showalter said. “We know ,however, that it’s a long race to bring this league title home and there’s plenty of basketball left to play.” Rancho Verde (14-4, 1-1) never led in the game, trailed by as many as 11 and made just 2 of 19 from 3-point distance in the loss. Poly started the game on a 5-0 run, but Trestyne Nguru’s floater with 30 seconds left kept Rancho Verde within two scores after one quarter. Halfway through the second quarter, Kam Dodson assisted on brother Kory’s layup to put Poly up 20-10, forcing a Rancho Verde to use a timeout. The Mustangs closed on a 9-4 run to cut their deficit to five points at halftime on a layup from Arion Valentine. Caleb Render hit a 3-pointer just 50 seconds into the third quarter to make it a one-point Poly lead. But the Bears responded by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to push their lead back to 11. Holland scored all six of his third-quarter points during that run, while Croy converted a four-point play after being hit while making a corner 3-pointer. “These are the games you get up for no matter where they’re placed on the schedule,” Croy said. “Credit Rancho Verde for throwing that kind of a punch in the third quarter, but we stayed calm through it and made the plays necessary to keep the lead and get this win.” Render also finished Rancho Verde’s 8-0 run which cut the deficit to a point with a layup before the Croy step-back 3-pointer to end that third quarter. Holland’s 3-point play with 4:47 left pushed Poly’s lead to 49-41, and the Bears hung on with Croy and Justyce Lucero going a perfect 4 for 4 on free throws with under 30 seconds left as Rancho Verde played the foul game. Related Articles High School Sports | Yucaipa girls basketball team holds off Beaumont in Citrus Belt League showdown High School Sports | Inland girls athlete of the week: Aliyahna Morris, Etiwanda High School Sports | Inland boys athlete of the week: Dominic Ruiz, Riverside Poly High School Sports | IE Varsity’s high school boys basketball rankings Jan. 6 High School Sports | IE Varsity’s high school girls basketball rankings, Jan. 6 Charles Knight had 12 points to lead Rancho Verde while Render added 11 points. Poly resumes Ivy League play on Thursday with a home game against Arlington while Rancho Verde is at Hillcrest.