Senior Ian Sprouffske dropped a team-high 30 points but Rainier was unable to come out on top over Kalama in a 69-60 road loss in Central 2B League action Tuesday.
Notched up at 28-28 at the half, Kalama outscored the Mountaineers 17-11 in the third quarter and 24-21 in the final frame to hand Rainier the defeat.
“Even though we didn’t come away with the W, we took another step forward tonight,” Rainier coach Ben Sheaffer said. “Our competitive spirit was at a high level against a great team with an incredible player.
“We left it all out there, but we just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. Against a quality opponent, on senior night, at their place, you can’t afford the unforced errors.”
Countering Sprouffske’s scoring eruption, Kalama senior Jackson Esary one-upped him with a game-high 35 points to pace the Chinooks.
“Curtis Keller and Gavin Owen played great defense on Esary tonight, which is crazy, because he still had 35,” Sheaffer said. “Sprouffske carried us at times offensively with 30 points of his own.
Josh Meldrum added 15 points for the Mountaineers, Keller had eight and Jake Meldrum pitched in seven.
Rainier looks to bounce back on Thursday for senior night against Winlock.
