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The Lady Raiders came into the week riding high on a win streak and looking forward to continuing it with two games on the home court. Against Liberty Bell on Thursday, the Lady Raiders did just that by shredding the Mountain Lions 73-14, but lost by six points to Chelan Saturday night.

The Liberty Bell game was already out of hand at the end of the first quarter with a 25-2 Lake Roosevelt lead.

The Lady Raiders did not let up, and the Mountain Lions provided plenty of opportunities for steals. Eleven of the 12 Raiders on the bench scored, with three in double digits. The girls were so far ahead that Head Coach Wallace Pleasants called off the press at the beginning of fourth quarter.

The Lady Raiders faced a far tougher test on Saturday against the Mountain Goats. LR had beaten Chelan Dec. 28, 34-32 in a knock-down, drag-out fight of a game for the championship in the Chelan Holiday Tourney. The Goats remembered that and made adjustments in their defense to challenge Jada Desautel and Dominique Pleasants when they were setting up the offense, and in controlling Roweena Antone down low from scoring easy baskets.

Even with the adjustments, the game quickly became a tit-for-tat match with the Lady Raiders and Goats exchanging leads for a first-quarter Chelan advantage, 15-14.

In the second quarter the back and forth continued, with Chelan anticipating Pleasants’ and Desatuel’s passes and with Antone neutralized in the key.

Hailey Chaney stepped it up for a season-best performance 14 points. She was opened up with the pressure on Antone and kept the Ladies going through the tough cold streaks in the second and third quarters.

Chelan maintained the lead at the half 29-27.

Both defenses opened up in the third quarter, and scoring went up with the fouls. Three Lady Raiders had foul trouble at the end of the third, and LR showed growing frustration as Chelan built its first lead of any size to 51-42.

But the Lady Raiders did not concede the victory to the Goats in the fourth. Instead they fought back and closed with Chelan on two occasions to take the game down to the last minute before it became clear Chelan was to come out victorious 62-56.

The Lady Raiders made 14 of 23 from the free-throw line. That, along with bad shot choices in the third quarter, played a significant role in the outcome of the game.

Scott Hunter photo

Hailey Chaney wins the fight for the rebound.

Head Raider Coach Wallace Pleasants said he saw great team growth in the way they fought back in the fourth, how they reacted to the different defenses and how underclassmen stepped in to play bigger roles. He noted that all of LR’s losses this season came from ranked opponents, all but Brewster coming from the 1A ranks.

When asked about last night’s game against Brewster on Monday night, Coach Pleasants stated The Raider girls were ready to take revenge last night for their Jan. 6 one-point loss to the Bears. LR will travel to Manson Friday for a 6 p.m. game. The Lady Raiders left the Trojans in the dust in their previous meeting 88-13.

LR 73 - Liberty Bell 14

Desautel 8, Sam 4, Chaney 9, Barry 2, Fasthorse 10, McCraigie 12, Pleasants 6, Laramie 3, Monaghan 7, Schilling 2, Antone 10.

Chelan 62 - LR 56

Desautel 3, Sam 5, Chaney 14, Fasthorse 4, Pleasants 9, Laramie 2, Salas 4, Monaghan 6, Antone 9