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The Lake Roosevelt Raiders and Lady Raiders basketball teams traveled to Spokane last week to play in the Eagles’ Holiday Classic tournament at West Valley High School where they competed in non-league games against new opponents.

The Raiders lost 71-45 last Tuesday against the Colton Yellowjackets, and 60-32 Thursday against the Cheney Blackhawks.

The Lady Raiders faced off against Bonners Ferry last Tuesday (results unavailable) and against the Sandpoint Lady Bulldogs on Thursday, which they lost 50-25. The coach was unavailable for comment.

Despite losing both of their games, boys’ Head Coach Levi Seekins remains optimistic about the experience. “These were like preseason games for us,” he said. “Our focus was to get a lot of guys playing time, really work on our offense and our defense, and challenge ourselves.”

“We lost both games by over 20, but I think we did a lot of things right,” Seekins continued. “They were two really high-quality teams we played. Cheney is 2A, and we battled with them the whole first three quarters until they started pulling away from us. In the end, it was a good week for us to get back on track. I think we have the ability to win a few more games in the second half of the season now.”

Back on the Raiders boys’ roster after recovering from injuries are Quincy Williams and Sonny Boyd. “It’s good to have those guys back,” Seekins said.

Seekins has been having his players work on a number of aspects to basketball in anticipation of the second half of the season. “We’ve been focusing on fundamentals and being accountable to your team,” Seekins said. “Showing up on time, being in the right position on offense, being in the right position on defense, communicating, making the smart play rather than the fancy play, trusting your teammates. ... We’re really honing in on making sure that we’re a good team rather than a team of individuals.”

Both the Raiders and Lady Raiders resumed their regular season last night by going to Bridgeport to challenge the Mustangs (boys) and Fillies (girls), results of which will be in next week’s Star.

The next home events will be in the Raider gym in Coulee Dam, where Lake Roosevelt will host the Waterville Shockers Saturday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m., and the Oroville Hornets on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 4:30 p.m.

Yellowjackets 71 Raiders 45

Raider Points

McCragie 14, Williams 6, Picard 9, St. Pierre 3, George 2, Trotter 2, Whiteman 4

Blackhawks 60 Raiders 32

Raider Points

McCragie 2, Williams 6, Picard 4, St. Pierre 5, Whiteman 13, Boyd 2

Lady Bulldogs 50 Lady Raiders 25

Lady Raider Points

Reyes 2, Boyd 5, Adolph 1, Dick 2, St. Pierre 3, Olbricht 5, Pakootas 4, Priest 3