Through one quarter of play at Rainier on Saturday, the Mountaineers led Morton-White Pass by just three. Two quarters later, they had stretched their lead to 28, a lead that Rainier rode to a 68-42 win.
“We made a ton of winning plays tonight, from communicating and fighting through screens to making the extra pass,” Rainier coach Ben Sheaffer said. “We were really connected, especially in the second and third quarters.”
The third quarter was Rainier’s best, as the Mountaineers (9-3, 6-2 C2BL) scored 28 points to put the game out of reach.
“As simple as it sounds, it looked like we were having fun,” Sheaffer said “After all, it is a game. We were unselfish with the basketball, celebrated one another and played with an edge on defense.”
Jared Sprouffske and Josh Meldrum led Rainier with 15 points each, while Jimmy Meldrum added 10. Peyton Sheaffer added nine, and Jake Meldrum and Johnny Boesch tallied eight each.
Judah Kelly led the T-Wolves (3-9, 0-6 C2BL) with 17 points, and Tony Belgiorno added 10.
At 6-2 in league play, the Mountaineers remain firmly in the mix near the top of the C2BL standings. They are currently tied for third with Adna, a half-game back of Wahkiakum and a half-game ahead of Toutle Lake.
The Timberwolves are still searching for their first league win, and they are two back of Kalama in the win column for a district spot.
The T-Wolves will host Winlock on Wednesday, while Rainier will head to Toutle Lake on Monday.
