Raider boys open 3-0 in league play last week

The Raiders opened league basketball play last week with three wins over Liberty Bell, Brewster, and Pateros.

At Liberty Bell Jan. 3, LR took it to the Mountain Lions, taking a 39-13 lead at the half and then cruising to a 79-35 win.

“It is always good to pick up a convincing road win,” Raider Head Coach Brad Wilson said.

Ty Egbert led the Raiders in points with a monster night, scoring 35 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Kramer Carlson had five points, four assists, and five rebounds. Tyler Garvin put in eight points to go along with his five rebounds. Drew Saxon hit 100 percent from field, including two three-pointers for his eight points.

Keith Rosenbaum was the number-two scorer with 11 points, along with seven assists. Jesse Adkins added six, Dalton Boutain four, and Brady Black 2.

The momentum from the blowout win carried over into Friday night’s game at home against Brewster. The Raiders opened with a quick, early lead in the first quarter. Brewster came back in the second quarter, outscoring the Raiders by five points. At halftime, the Raiders were ahead by only four points, 31-27.

LR needed a strong third quarter to knock the Bears off their feet and take the advantage back. The Raiders did just that, scoring 17 points and at one point going on a 9-0 run to take a convincing lead going into the fourth 48-33.

The Bears turned to rough play to try and knock the Raiders out of rhythm. Brewster racked up 10 fouls in the third and had one player foul out in the fourth with three more on the court with four fouls. 

That didn’t faze LR, which continued to outpace the Bears in the fourth for the 63-50 victory.

Egbert was again the leading scorer, putting up 23 points along with 10 rebounds and five blocks. Rosenbaum scored 14 points, hitting baskets that kept the momentum with the Raiders. Adkins contributed 10 points while Garvin had eight.

Carlson scored four, but was calm and cool operating the offense. Saxon had three points on the night; Boutain added another.

With two wins and Raider confidence soaring, LR travelled to Pateros on Saturday to finish a long week of games.

The Billygoats provided no competition in the first quarter as the Raiders rolled to a 18-0 lead until with less than a minute left Pateros finally made a three-pointer.

The Raiders quickly answered, and at the end of the first, the Raiders looked dominating with a 20-3 lead.

Pateros fought back, outscoring LR in the second quarter and neutralized 6-8 Egbert with defensive adjustments.

The Raiders came back strong in the second half, bringing Egbert back into the game offensively and a 51-31 win.

Egbert led scoring again with 20 points. Carlson had 13, most coming when Egbert was shut down. Rosenbaum had seven, Adkins five, Garvin four, and Saxon 2.

The Raiders sat atop of the Central Washington North going into this week’s games against Manson at Coulee Dam last night and Friday’s home matchup against Oroville starting at 7:30 p.m.