Raider wins include vs. Brewster Bears

The Raiders topped a mixed weekend with a very large lead Monday night over White Swan in Coulee Dam, beating the Cougars 85-44.

The win came on the heels of a one-point loss to Omak on Saturday, which itself had followed a huge victory over Brewster's Bears, 71-60, on their home court, a game about which Raider Coach Jeremy Crollard had not been optimistic due to past experience with uneven officiating.

"We left it all on the court when it came to Brewster," Crollard said.

The Raiders played with intensity, he said, holding Brewster to 46 points, a season low that had been at 72 prior to the Bears meeting the Raiders.

With two big wins and a one-point loss, Crollard still wasn't happy after the win against White Swan in Coulee Dam Monday night, a game he'd expected would be one the Raiders could use "to work on things," he said, still recognizing the tough schedule the players had endured that actually continued last night's 76-50 win in Mabton, their last game until a Dec. 29 tournament in Reardan.

"When we come back from our break, we need to be ready to come back and be ready to go full, full bore," he said.

Monday night, the Raiders might not have worked on new strategies, but they worked.

Chase Marchand seemed to perfect a strategy of stealing the ball immediately upon Cougar possession and putting it back in the basket for two points - a take-and-two, as announcer Aaron Derr must have called five times.

Marchand led the Raiders in points with 21, followed by sophomore Ivan Alajandre's 16. Chase Clark and Brandon Pino contributed 11 each, nine of which were Pino's three-pointers.

Bear Vargas-Thomas made six of 12 from the free-throw line, adding eight to the board and earning the most-fouled title.

The Raiders hold a 6-2 win-loss record overall for the season.

They'll play the Reardan tournament Dec. 29, then meet Okanogan in Coulee Dam on Tuesday, Jan. 3.