Despite 45 points from Raymond standout Karsyn Freeman, the Rainier girls basketball team clamped down when it mattered most, and escaped Raymond with a 61-60 victory Thursday night in non-league play.
The Mountaineers led by 12 points late in the third quarter, but then let the lead slowly slip away and fall all the way to one in the final moments.
The Seagulls got a shot off with three seconds to go, but couldn’t get it to fall, helping Rainier earn a tough non-league win.
“They jumped out early on us but we settled down and were able to close the gap,” Rainier coach Brandon Eygabroad said. “They’re tough defensively and Karsyn Freeman just had a fantastic night. We had a hard time stopping her in transition. She hit some tough shots.”
Haleigh Hanson led the Mountaineers with 19 points, and Angelica Askey and Bryn Beckman both had 15 on a balanced scoring night for Rainier.
But just as soon as everything was clicking, it quickly became a scramble drill to avoid a blown lead.
“We took our foot off the gas,” Eygabroad said. “We should’ve been more aggressive going to the basket, we played the time game more than just playing basketball. We always want to be in a position where if we have a lead we want to extend it and put them away.
“We played a good game of basketball, we have a lot to clean up but we’re headed in the right direction.”
The Mountaineers take on Yelm at home next Friday for another non-league matchup against a 3A squad.
