The Rainier boys basketball team closed one gap in the second half, but couldn’t pull off a second comeback, losing 65-53 to Toutle Lake.
“Our guys showed a ton of resiliency tonight,” Rainier coach Ben Sheaffer said.
The Mountaineers trailed 21-9 after a quarter of play, but chipped away at the deficit to go into the fourth quarter down just two.
Once in crunch time, though, Toutle Lake pulled back away with a 23-point fourth. Senior star Zach Swanson led the way for the Ducks with 35 points, including going 24 for 24 from the free-throw line.
Josh Meldrum put in 12 points for Rainier, with Jake Meldrum right behind him on 10.
The Mountaineers (9-4, 6-3 C2BL) will host Onalaska on Wednesday.
