Raiders make mincemeat out of Trojans, Mustangs

The Lake Roosevelt Raiders basketball team trounced the Trojans and turned the Mustangs into dog food this past week, winning by extra-large point margins.

The Raiders defeated the Manson Trojans on the road Jan. 8, scoring almost double what the Trojans did, winning 80-41.

"Our boys just played really well," Head Coach Jeremy Crollard said. "We studied film, shut down what they wanted to do, pressed, and the boys just showed up and shot really well, and played physical."

"It was definitely our best game of the year," Crollard remarked.

Five Raiders put up double digit points, Crollard pointed out: Soarin' Marchand scored 18, Sam Wapato scored 14, Trevor McCraigie scored 12, Tyler Jordan scored 12, and Jonathan Cante scored 10.

The Raiders hosted the Bridgeport Mustangs in Coulee Dam Jan. 11, defeating them 87-35, winning by more than double.

Only three minutes into the game, Wapato scored back-to-back three pointers to double the Raiders' lead from six points to 12, with a 15-3 score.

The Raiders led 32-13 at the end of the first quarter, 55-25 at the end of the half, and held the Mustangs to only 10 points in the second half, creating the 87-35 final.

Leading scorers for the Raiders were Wapato with 16 points, McCraigie with 12, Jordan with 12, Cante with 11, and Marchand with 11.

The Raiders now have an 8-2 league record, 9-3 overall, and are third in the Central Washington 2B league behind Brewster (9-1, 11-3) and Oroville (8-1, 10-3).

"I like where we're at," Crollard said. "The most important thing is the boys are playing better. Every single game they're getting better; as a coach, that's what we look for and what we want to see."

"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to be in the top two so you get a bye in districts," Crollard continued. "We still have a shot at that. Even though Brewster and Oroville are ahead of us, we still feel there are good games ahead of us."

LR was scheduled to host the Soap Lake Eagles on Tuesday, but was cancelled due to the gym not having water from a reported broken water line and will be resheduled. They play in Oroville against the Hornets on Friday, Jan. 18, starting at 7:30 p.m., then host the Tonasket Tigers in Coulee Dam Jan. 22, also at 7:30 p.m.