The Rainier High School boys basketball team entered its final home game of the regular season winning three of its last four games and looking for momentum heading into the postseason.
The Mountaineers had their hands full as Adna came to town and earned a hard-fought road win on Friday, Jan. 26 by a score of 59-51. In a buzzing home environment, both teams raced to a hot start in the opening minutes, thrilling the crowd with physical play and flashy fast breaks.
The Pirates led 18-14 through the first quarter. Missing several open looks kept them from opening up a bigger lead.
The second quarter was a tale of two sides for the Mountaineers; they struggled to take care of the basketball and took tough shots in the first four minutes. After trailing by as many as 14 in the quarter, they closed the gap to seven as the halftime buzzer rang and tied it at 37 four minutes into the third quarter.
“I think we just kept playing. We were a little disappointed there in the second quarter for a stretch. They were out-working us,” Mountaineer head coach Ben Sheaffer said. “Part of our identity is flying around and being gritty, so once we got going again, especially with our full-court pressure, we got back into the game.”
With the crowd back into the game, the Pirates quickly silenced them with six straight points, and the two teams traded buckets entering the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers were within striking distance for much of the final period, due to timely baskets from James and Jacob Meldrum, who combined to score 22 points in the game.
Each time the Mountaineers pulled within a one-possession margin, the Pirates delivered dagger after dagger. Adna’s Braeden Salme drained one of his four 3-pointers with just over three minutes remaining to extend the lead to six after Rainier drew within one point. The Pirates cruised to a 59-51 victory with a 9-2 run over the final four minutes.
“I felt really good with our performance. We lost, but I think we played really well,” Sheaffer said. “It was a district environment, and I think that’s going to help prepare us for this stretch run. We played hard, and shots aren’t always gonna fall. We did miss a couple of easy ones that may have changed the outcome, but, again, we’re really proud with our effort.”
The Mountaineers hit the road for their final two regular season games, first at Wahkiakum on Tuesday, Jan. 30 and then at Toledo on Thursday, Feb. 1. Results were not available before press time.
