Lady Raiders score successful Christmas

The Lady Raiders went three for four over the Christmas break, recording wins over Waterville, Omak, and Liberty Bell.

In the Waterville game at home Dec. 21 the Lady Raiders had to contend with a determined Lady Shocker team who kept it close as the first half score showed LR up by only five points. But LR came back in the third quarter with a faster pace that threw the Lady Shockers off their rhythm for a time. Waterville still refused to give up and the Lady Raider lead was only 6 points at the start of the 4th quarter.

That’s when the game started getting physical. Lake Roosevelt stayed strong as Waterville got into foul trouble and the Lady Raiders came away with a 54-40 win.

liked what he saw from his team especially in two players, “Riley Epperson came off the bench and was a big asset on defense tonight,” Head Coach Wallace Pleasants said, “and Tanceia Stanczak came up huge for us inside the paint with her defense and rebounding.”

With no time to relax, the Lady Raiders were in action the next day at Omak against a Pioneer team that was already having a difficult season.

In the first quarter, Rickyna Sam lit up the scoreboard, hitting four three-pointers plus another jump shot to lead the team with 14 points. That explosive start was what the Lady Raiders needed to hold off the Pioneers, who stayed with LR in the first for a 16-15 LR edge at the beginning of the second.

But he Lady Raiders built a 31-25 lead by halftime. Early in the second half, Hailey Chaney grabbed a steal and came away with a three-pointer that fired up the Lady Raiders, who held Omak to only six points in the third for a 46-31 lead.

That lead had grown to 21 points when the Pioneers came roaring back and challenged the Lady Raiders right to the end. But the early spark from Sam and an impressive third quarter was too much to overcome as LR came away the victors 57-49.

Coach Pleasants said Sam’s first-quarter performance was key.

“Playing back-to-back nights, we knew there would be some fatigue, so Rickyna going five for five gave us that lead we could maintain all the way through,” he said.

The next opponent for the Lady Raiders was the number five in the state at 1A. The amazingly talented Chandler Smith led the Brewster Lady Bears in the Brewster Christmas Tournament Dec. 28.

Brewster did not press the Lady Raiders and the game was even for the first three minutes.

LR took the lead with a Keya Fasthorse three-pointer before the Lady Bears went on an 18-0 run to finish the first up 20-3. Johnny McCraigie hit a three-pointer to end the Lady Bears run at 20 points in the second, but the Lady Raiders could not overcome the offensive attack. The score at halftime was 42-12. In the second half the Lady Raiders defense stiffened and Katelynn Schilling showed some backcourt skills nabbing a steal for a runaway layin in the fourth.

The final was Brewster 79, LR 27.

Coming back the next day to take on the Liberty Bell Mt. Lions in the 3rd/4th-place game, the Lady Raiders played with more confidence and built a big early lead, 19-3 and ahead by the half 36-13. They continued rolling in the second half with the Epperson twins ganging up on the Mt. Lion guards for steals and a 12-0 run in the fourth and a final score of LR 69, LB 24. Pleasants liked the way the team bounced back from the loss to post a convincing win.

“We got an opportunity to do some things we have been working on in practice to see if they would work in a game,” he noted. “They did and (we) look to incorporate them down the stretch.”

With the non-league schedule in the books, the Lady Raiders sit at 5-3 with two losses coming from the defending 1A state champs Okanogan and the powerful Brewster squad.

They’re looking to continue the success against the White Swan Cougars on Friday in their Central Washington 2B opener at White Swan starting at 6 p.m. The Cougars have the same record as LR and before the Christmas break posted wins over Bridgeport, 76-26, and River View, 63-22.

Waterville- 40

Browning 4, Clements 2, Landon 4, Davila 7, Ke. Toomey 0, Ka. Toomey 3, Gromley 7, Thomsen 7, Day 6.

Lake Roosevelt- 54

R. Epperson 0, Sam 0, Chaney 16, Fast Horse 11, McCraigie 1, Laramie 15, Stanczak 3, A. Epperson 0, Schilling 8

At Omak

Sam 14, Laramie 12, Chaney 10, McCraigie 7, Fasthorse 5, R. Epperson 4, Schilling 4, Stanczak 2

vs Brewster

Laramie 6, McCraigie 6, Fasthorse 5, Schilling 5, Chaney 5,

Lake Roosevelt

R. Epperson 12, A. Epperson 5, Sam 3, Chaney 5, Fast Horse 7, Laramie 24, Stanczak 6, Schilling 7.

Liberty Bell

Canedo 4, Duguay 1, Watson 4, Williams 4, Chacy 1, Darwood 6, McMillan 4.