Frustration swept over the Rainier High School boys basketball team’s bench as Ilwaco knocked the Mountaineers out of the District 4 2B tournament by a score of 74-56 on Friday, Feb. 9.
With the loss, Rainier’s season comes to an abrupt end, with the Mountaineers finishing the district tournament without a win and the season with a 13-9 record overall.
The Mountaineers led briefly in the opening minutes as senior Johnny Boesch scored their first five points, but the Fishermen caught fire from distance, drilling four triples in the first quarter. Ilwaco led 26-14 through the first quarter, capping off the statement period with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
The barrage from deep continued into the second quarter, as the Fishermen drilled three more treys to increase the lead to 45-26 going into halftime. Boesch did his best to keep the Mountaineers in it, scoring 10 points in the first half.
As they have often done this season, the Mountaineers made a comeback attempt in the second half. Boesch nailed a trifecta of triples, and Jared Sprouffske attacked the basket to bring Rainier within a dozen entering the fourth.
The Mountaineers got as close as down 11 points after Hunter Howell splashed a 3-pointer with 7 minutes, 30 seconds left in the fourth. Down the stretch, poor rebounding and costly turnovers doomed the Mountaineers. The Fishermen put the dagger in Rainier with a 12-3 run to seal the victory and knock the Mountaineers out of the district tournament, where they went 0-2 after losing to Forks on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Boesch led the way with 22 points, while Sprouffske provided 10 and Hunter Howell scored 9.
