Hosting its neighbors just down the road on Highway 507, the 2B Rainier boys basketball team handed 1A Tenino its first loss of the season in a 59-50 win Tuesday night in non-league action.
The Mountaineers had a swarming defense, holding the Beavers to just 31% shooting with 12 turnovers, and Rainier countered with four players in double figures.
Jake (17 points), Josh (11 points), and Jimmy (11 points) Meldrum all scored in double-digits, and Gavin Owen chipped in another 10 in the win. The Mountaineers shot 47% as a team with just eight turnovers on the night.
“I am so happy for our guys to get a W in this rivalry game,” Mountaineers coach Ben Sheaffer said. “We really played together on both ends. We moved the ball on offense and the ball didn't stick much. On defense, we did a great job defending Schow holding him to 13. We defended the ball screen really well and did a fantastic job helping in the post as well. Our guys played extremely hard and showed tremendous competitive spirit against a super physical, well coached Tenino team.”
The Beavers were led by Austin Gonia’s 15 points, and Noah Schow scored 13 on 4 of 18 shooting. Guard Will Feltus also scored in double figures with 12 points for the Beavs.
Rainier will look to keep it rolling against Raymond on Thursday while Tenino hopes to rebound quickly on Wednesday against Ocosta.
