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The Lady Raiders lost to the 1B Pateros Nannies in a close league game Friday 53-43.

When asked what needs to improve, Head Coach Wallace Pleasants said, “Everything, mostly how to play through fouls and the girls not to get us to hard physical play.”

The Nannies attacked the Lady Raiders from the start with hard physical defense. But LR kept the score close as Danielle Laramie, Katelynn Schilling and Rickyna Sam led the scoring in the first half with the Lady Raiders behind by only four points, 26-22.

At the beginning of the second half, the Lady Raiders charged the floor and challenged the Nannies score for score. Then the foul bug bit LR and the Nannies began to build a lead.

The Lady Raiders struggled to get the ball down low to Laramie and Schilling in the second half as the Nannies blocked the key with three or four defenders continuously stifling LR shots and rebounding opportunities. At the end of the third quarter, the Nannies still had not closed the door, as the Lady Raiders were only behind by five, 40-35.

For the second time in a week, the fourth quarter was a nail biter. The Lady Raiders again roared back, keeping the game close until the end. But they could not take advantage of Nannie mistakes and could not establish any sort of lead. In the last two minutes, the Nannies hit two three pointers to push their lead to nine.

LR’s Hailey Chaney hit two free throws after being fouled by Nannies top scorer Katarina Wilson for her fifth foul, but The Lady Raiders could not spark a comeback.

“I am trying to make the girls understand that effort is not a switch you turn off and on, it is an everyday thing,” stated a displeased Coach Wallace Pleasants.

“We did a good job in the last two games setting screens to open people up, but tonight it wasn’t there,” he continued. He said the Lady Raiders must also get used “to hard physical play and become hard physical players themselves.”

The Lady Raiders will prepare themselves for Friday’s 6 p.m. home game against the Shockers of Waterville and Saturday’s road game at Omak, also starting at 6 p.m.

The Shockers come in with a 3-3 record, with wins against Liberty Bell, Soap Lake, and Columbia Basin Secondary. Omak is struggling again this season at 2-5, with losses to Pateros, A-C-H twice, Brewster, and Cashmere. The Pioneers wins came from a 40-point blowout of Liberty Bell and a squeaker against Oroville.