The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Raider Boys' Basketball ended a three-game week in second place in the Central Washington 2B North standings with a win over Waterville Saturday.

Right now the Raiders' win-loss record stands at 6-4 overall and 4-1 in league play. They are tied with Liberty Bell for second in league standings.

Lake Roosevelt made short work of the Tonasket Tigers Jan. 5 in Coulee Dam. The Tigers were never in contention as the Raiders racked up another win, 64-45, over Tonasket. This set up the game Jan. 7 at Brewster as a first-place deciding game.

"My boys played the best basketball that I have ever seen this season," Head Coach Mario Adams said after the Raiders nearly defeated the undefeated Brewster Bears in Brewster. "Their performance, along with a never-say-quit attitude, truly gave me chills to watch. ... I have never seen a group of young men leave everything out on the floor. I can honestly say that we have finally reached our potential."

In the Brewster game, the Raiders were able to hold in check 6-5 Hammonds and 6-6 Chance Williams, who have been dominant this season. At one point the Raiders held a small lead over the Bears. Then Brewster found another gear and came away with the win, 59-55.

"Despite the tough loss, we gave the top team in the state a great battle while holding them under their average of points and rebounds," Adams said. "When you have a team grabbing the clipboard and coaching their teammates on what they see out there on the court, you know there's something special going on here; these boys are disciplined, hard working, and selfless when playing the game."

At Waterville on Saturday, the Raiders did not get off to the start they wanted to while the team "got back some of our legs from the Brewster game two days ago," Adams said. But the game came under Raider control in the second half, with Lake Roosevelt leading by 30. LR won 67-56.

Josiah Desautel goes of the layin.

This week, the Raiders tackle another three-game schedule. Last night the Raiders were scheduled to host the struggling Okanogan Bulldogs at Gailord Nelson Gym. Tomorrow at Liberty Bell, the Raiders will fight the Mt. Lions for second place in the Central Washington 2B North; tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at Liberty Bell.

On Saturday, the Raiders will take on the struggling Billygoats (1-9) at Pateros, starting at 5:30 p.m.

A slow-motion video caught just as Chance Garvin launched for a dunk at Waterville: