Good things came in threes for the Riverside Brookfield girls basketball team at the Morton College Holiday Minuteman Classic.

The Bulldogs (11-5, 3-1 Metro Suburban Conference) won three games to finish third and also placed three players-Fallon Ryan, Rachel Buccieri and Shaquita Slater-on the All-tournament team.

“We were well-prepared and we played our hearts out,” said RB guard April Hutchens. “Our expectation is to always play 110 percent. If we can do that, we will most likely win games. We feel like we are ready for anything the rest of the season. Coach Rocco is a great guy and a good coach. He expects the best of us.”

After a pair of impressive victories over Argo (58-37) and Addison Trail (62-56), RB lost 44-31 to Hinsdale South in the Minuteman semifinals.

“I really thought we had a good shot at winning the tournament,” Rocco said. “We just didn’t have a good shooting night against Hinsdale South. If we would have had our normal shooting night, I felt we could have won that game.”

On the last day of the tournament, RB bounced back with a 45-27 win over Morton. Ryan paced a balanced attack with 14 points, while Emily Chapman and Molly McCloskey chipped in 11 and six points, respectively. RB coasted to the victory despite uncharacteristically making only one 3-point basket and converting 2-of-12 attempts from the charity stripe.

Along with their trademark run-and-gun style, the Bulldogs have been reaping the benefits of the strong inside tandem of Ryan and Slater. Regan Riley has provided a valuable all-court game as well.

“Fallon and I always say we have each other’s back,” Slater said. “We always communicate on the court. We might not have known how tough our opponents were going to be [at Minuteman], but I felt we were ready and we played hard.”

Rocco felt the Bulldogs gained valuable experience from the four-day event, which also included a visit from Chicago Sky player, Stephanie Raymond, who gave a presentation to the players.

“I thought our kids played great throughout the tournament,” Rocco added. “They are starting to develop consistency, and that’s what we have been striving for all season.”

RB returns to action this week with a pair of games against Hersey and Ridgewood.

“Hersey is going to be a real tough game and Ridgewood has improved from last year,” Rocco said. “We want to keep pushing and keep getting better.”