Big Second Half Propels Rainier Past Toledo

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ROCHESTER — Led by Faith Boesch’s 24 points and seven 3-pointers, the Rainier girls basketball team will live to fight another day after a 53-38 win over Toledo in Rochester Thursday night. 

The Mountaineers got off to a slow start, trailing 9-1 early, before getting their offense into a bit of rhythm in the second quarter and then exploding in the second half for 39 points. 

“We started slow,” Mountaineers coach Brandon Eygabroad said. “We struggled to get going. We were getting everything but the finish in the first half.”

Enter Boesch, who hit four shots from distance in the third quarter and also hauled in eight rebounds over the course of the whole game. 

“She did not want to go home,” Eygabroad said of the senior sharpshooter.

Eygabroad also made sure to shout out Bryn Beckman and Janess Blackburn for their strong rebounding, with Beckman notching a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double and Blackburn hauling in nine total boards. He also said freshman Brooklynn Swenson handled the Riverhawk pressure well, dishing out five assists. 

The Mountaineers will now play Forks in another win-or-go-home game on Tuesday at Castle Rock at 7:30 p.m. 

For the Riverhawks, it’s a bitter end to a tumultuous season that saw Toledo hang around with some of the best teams in the state throughout COVID-19 protocols and shorthanded numbers. 

Rose Dillon finished with a team-high 12 points and four shots from deep, and Greenlee Clark scored 11 in her final game for Toledo. 

Eygabroad had nothing but good things to say about his opponent after the contest. 

“They come out and play extremely hard, their defense is so tough,” he said. “They fought and gave us a true test, they never ever went away.”