The Rainier High School girls basketball team defeated Raymond–South Bend 70-48 in the second round of the District 4 WIAA 2B game at Montesano High School on February 6, 2024. Rainier (RPI #2) now faces league rival Adna (RPI #1). The teams have split the season meetings with Rainier winning 52-49 on December 8, 2023, and Adna winning the second meeting 68-57 on January 26, 2024.
Rainier head coach Brandon Eygabroad was excited to be moving into the next round of Districts with a possible automatic State Tournament Bid with a win next week against Adna. “Today was a typical District game and Raymond-South Bend really came ready to go and they hit some big shots early and stuck around and made us work hard,” Eygabroad mentioned after the game. “Key for us was we came out for the second half with a better edge, a little more intensity and a little more purpose to our game. It started on the defensive side and the defense led to our offense.”
Raymond-South Bend head coach Jason Koski liked his team’s competitive spirit compared to the first meeting against Rainier. “I think during the first half we showed we came to compete and we played with better pride,” Koski noted. “Second half we just did not match their intensity. We got a bit tired and we are who we are but we are a young team.”
Junior guard Angelica Askey, led all scores with 25 points. Askey pressed the pace and worked hard on both sides of the court for the Lady Mountaineers. Junior Guard Brooklynn Swenson had 18 for Rainier supporting Askey. For Raymond-South Bend, Sophomore Megan Kongbouakhay and Senior Kyndal Koski both scored 12.
Rainier and Adna will meet Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at Kelso High School at 6 p.m. The game meets the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the state 2B RPI Rankings. The winner will gain a berth in a “both to state” district game February 17, with the loser moving into the losers bracket needing a win on February 15 to advance to state.
For Rainier Coach Eygabroad, he plans to learn from the game and continue focusing on one game at a time. “Our goal is that we want to play our game ‘together’ and that is really important for us. I hope as many from the Rainier community can come and support us as we are a small school and it’s just exciting to be a part of this program and community.”
