Raiders win one, lose two

The Raider boys over the holidays won a league basketball game and competed strongly against larger schools in the Eagle Holiday Classic at West Valley High School.

At home against Manson, the Raiders won the league game Dec. 18, defeating the Trojans 58-39.

“We learned a lot in this game,” Raider Head Coach Mario Adams said, “and that was to make sure every possession was run perfectly with our new offense and playing scrappy defense.”

He said the Manson Trojans played determined and were well coached, but a turning point came in the third quarter. “We were a different team in the second half by only allowing Manson three points in the third quarter,” Adams said. “I was very impressed how well our guys implemented the adjustments we made in the locker room at halftime.”

Leading scorers for the Raiders in the game were Chance Garvin, with 14 points, and Jacob Palmer, with 11.

Josiah Desautel was “a great leader for his teammates,” Adams said. “He was able to lead us on the defensive end by providing full-pressure defense.” Adams noted that newcomer Elijah Harris “has been improving since day one in the gym.” The 6-5 forward, he said, has a “relentless work ethic to get better.”

After a week of practice, the Raiders traveled to the Eagle Holiday Classic Dec. 28 and 29 to face Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls), of the Northeast A League, and West Valley (Spokane) of the 2A Great Northern League.

Against the Eagles of Lakeside, the Raiders were in the game the entire time, with Garvin, Kolby Picard, Nathaniel Hall and others hitting threes in the first half. Off the bench, Hall scored nine points.

“Our boys proved that we can compete with any team, no matter the division or rank,” Adams said. “Despite the loss, we left that game feeling confident that we can carry that type of play into our division this year.” The final score: Lakeside 81, LR 72.

Against the West Valley Eagles the next day, the Raiders faced a tougher opponent who “truly tested us when it came to playing through adversity,” Adams said.

The Raiders stuck with West Valley throughout the first half, yielding a 31-25 West Valley halftime advantage. The Raiders could not close that gap in the second half. The final was WV 63, LR 56.

“We all were proud of how we hung in there with a team a couple divisions ahead of us,” Adams said.

Garvin scored a season-high 26 points against West Valley.

Looking ahead, Adams said he believes the team needs more work on emotions.

“When a call doesn’t go our way, a loose ball comes out of our grasp, or we miss an opportunity to score, we need to have that ‘next play’ mentality,” he said.

This week will test the Raiders’ emotions as they hosted the Tonasket Tigers last night and then travel to Brewster tomorrow.

The Bears are undefeated, with wins over 1A Chelan, Cashmere, and Mt. Baker. Brewster is averaging 70 points a game while allowing other teams to score just 42. The game is at Brewster High School with tip off at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18 vs Manson

1 2 3 4 Final

LR 15 13 13 17 58

Man 11 12 3 13 39

Dec. 28 vs Lakeside

1 2 3 4 Final

Lake 22 14 23 22 81

LR 17 17 21 17 72

Lake Roosevelt

Garvin 24, Palmer 7, Hall 9, Friedlander 1, Desautel 3, Redstar 9, Harris 4, R. Boyd 7, S. Boyd 2, McCraigie 0, Picard 6.

Lakeside

Cox 6, Strouse 6, Gifford 6, Swannack 13, Dvorak 13, Chittum 0, Gay 31, Baerwald 10, Adams 0, J. Meyer 0, H. Meyer 2.

Dec. 29 vs West Valley

1 2 3 4 Final

WV 14 17 20 12 63

LR 13 12 18 13 56

Lake Roosevelt

Garvin 26, Palmer 8, Hall 5, Desautel 3, Louie 2, Harris 6, R.Boyd 2, McCraigie 3, J.Boyd 0, Picard 1.

West Valley

Stavnes 8, Yoakum 21, Sather 4, Whitney 1, Leifer 6, Wee 6, Folkins 3, Sage 12, Vermillion 2.