Raider boys take second in District 5-6

In overtime, the Raiders secured second place in the district tournament Saturday against a foe that had twice beaten them in the regular season.

"We came in ready to play and prove that we deserved to be there," Raider Head Coach Matt Simpson said.

The Raiders defeated both Riverside Christian Wednesday and Liberty Bell Saturday in the district tournament at Wenatchee, earning the district's second berth in the regional tournament next Saturday in Cheney.

The team's coaches, Simpson said, had "challenged them to believe in themselves and play with confidence. They bought into it, and guys stepped up all over."

In the Riverside Christian game, both squads started off slow on offense as the score at the end of the first quarter was still in the single digits tied at 22 at half time.

In the third quarter both offenses began to warm up with the Raiders receiving a spark from Kadin Davis who went on a hot streak. Raider fouls helped Riverside Christian stay in the game. The score at the end of the third quarter was LR 39- RC 35.

In the fourth the Crusaders came back hard and the Raiders had no defensive answer at first. It was anybody's game until the final minutes when LR took the lead and RC began to foul to save time.

But LR gave its best free-throw shooting effort of the season as those fouls to save time turned into the end of Riverside Christian's season. Lake Roosevelt came away the victors, 62-53.

The win earned the Raiders the right to take on Liberty Bell Feb. 22 for the third time this season to decide the last berth to regionals. Liberty Bell, which had bested LR twice in the regular season, played off beat, and the Raiders led for most of the game and a 12-point advantage at the end of three with an apparent win in sight.

But in the fourth, the Mt. Lions came roaring back into the game, erasing their 12-point deficit, and tying the score at 47 after a Raider technical foul at the end of regulation.

In the overtime period, fatigue set in and Jacob Palmer left the court with a knee problem. In the end, the Raiders regrouped from the fourth-quarter let down to win 55-52.

Simpson said the district effort was a "total team contribution."

The next step, he said, will be "another big challenge."

Saturday, LR will take on Lind-Ritzville/Sprague at Cheney High School at the regional tournament between District 5-6 and District 7-9.. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.

LR's win-loss record stands at 22-4 for the season. Three of their four losses came at the hands of Northeast 2B and District 7-9 champion St. George's.

LR needs to defeat the Broncos in order to move on to the state B tournament in the Spokane Arena starting on March 6.

vs. Riverside Christian

LR: Chance Garvin: 21 points 11 boards 5 steals; Jackson Louie: 13 points; Austin Rosenbaum: 5 points, 5 boards; Jake Palmer: 6 points 6 boards; Merle Picard: 6 points; Kadin Davis: 9 points; Taren Redstar: 2 points; Team: 17-22 free throws.

Riverside Christian:

Michael Catton: 15 points; Kirk Gartrell: 12 points; Faxon McKray: 5 points; Joey Catton: 9 points; Jacob Cleveringa: 2 points; Johnny Shields: 1 point; Jake Haas: 9 points.

vs. Liberty Bell

Chance Garvin: 14 points, 16 boards, 6 steals; Jackson Louie: 15 points, 4 boards; Austin Rosenbaum: 11 points, 5 boards; Jake Palmer: 4 points, 6 rebounds; Merle Picard: 5 points; Taren Redstar: 6 points.

Liberty Bell;

Cesar Dominguez: 14 points, Austin Watson: 4 points, Jaymis Hanson: 13 points, Logan Szafas: 2 points Daniel Sonnichen: 6 points, Liam Daily: 6 points, Jorge Lara: 2 points