Raider basketball loses close season opener

The Raiders got stung by the Oroville Hornets in overtime on Saturday, losing the neck-and-neck home basketball game with a final score of 58-55.

Raider Soarin Marchand took a spill in the first quarter, getting a bloody lip and leaving the game. His bloodied jersey was unusable, so the Raiders couldn't add a substitute to the bench. Sam Wapato, hurt in a previous practice, is expected to be out for a couple of weeks. The lack of jerseys meant the Raiders had seven suited players out of a possible nine, playing a factor in the game.

Tied 27-27 at the half, the Hornets put up 12 points in the third to the Raiders' six.

Lake Roosevelt came back in the fourth quarter. Down by three points with 10 seconds left, Raider captain Trevor McCraigie shot a three pointer with a hand in his face and sunk it. The home crowd went wild.

Lake Roosevelt had the momentum going into the four-minute overtime, starting with another three-point shot from McCraigie. That was followed by a Derek Whiteman layup on the next possession. Whiteman drew a foul and missed the free throw, but a teammate tipped the ball in for another two points, putting the Raiders up by seven.

But the Hornets came back, and some Raider in-and-out shots just wouldn't sink.

With LR leading by just one point with one minute, 20 seconds left, a Raider layup was ruled no good because of an offensive foul, a call a vocal Raider crowd clearly questioned.

The Hornets took the lead in the next minute, and in a moment of déja vu, the Raiders were again down by three points with 10 seconds remaining. McCraigie couldn't sink a three from far back, and the game ended with a final of 58-55.

"I felt like we battled," said Raider Head Coach Jeremy Crollard. "It's nothing to hang our heads on. We have the whole season ahead of us, and we're going to get better."

The coach highlighted some of his players. "Trevor McCraigie had an amazing game," Crollard said. "Cameron St. Pierre and Adam George played really well on the defensive end. Soarin was playing really well before his injury."

"You have to give it to (the Hornets)," Crollard added. "It just happened to not go our way tonight."

The Raiders played last night in Brewster against the Bears, results of which will be reported in next week's Star.

Their next game is on Thursday, Dec. 7 at home in Coulee Dam at 7:30 p.m.