REDMOND — Ridgeview and Bend High entered Friday night’s matchup tied for first in the Intermountain Conference girls basketball standings. But by the end of the 61-34 Lava Bears victory, it was clear who has the inside track to a league title.

“We found out why Bend is 17-4,” Ridgeview coach Shan Hartford said after the game, referring to the Bears’ overall record. “They’ve got a little more depth up front, a little more experience (than the rest of the IMC).”

The Lava Bears (8-1 IMC, 17-4 overall) led 20-9 after the first quarter, providing the visitors with more than enough cushion on the road. Bend then held Ridgeview to four points in the third quarter, opening a 22-point lead over the Ravens (7-2, 11-10) by the end of the period.

“We put together a consistent game, which we’ve been trying to do all year,” Bend coach Todd Ervin said. “(The Ravens) can really shoot the ball, and that’s what happened in the second quarter.”

Cambree Scott and Kylee Roath each scored 19 points for the Lava Bears, and Kaycee Brown added seven. Alaina Clark was the leading scorer for Ridgeview with 10 points, and Rylee Troutman and Ashley Hall each scored six.

The Ravens dealt the Lava Bears their only conference loss of the season, beating Bend 50-47 in both teams’ IMC opener in early January. But Bend came back with a 58-40 victory in the teams’ second meeting later that month.

“I hope that’s an indication of our improvement,” Ervin said. “Every win is a big win in league, and this was a really big one. We got really nice leadership from our seniors, both scoring like Cam (Scott) and running the point like Taylyn (Hadley) did. Really good effort all the way around.”