Hungry Mountaineers get revenge on Tigers in 51-32 statement win

Seniors fuel massive first-half surge over reigning state champs

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The senior quartet of Janess Blackburn, Brooklynn Swenson, Bryn Beckman and Angelica Askey for the Rainier High School girls basketball team don’t need much motivation before stepping on the floor as their time together nears its end.

But the opportunity to exact revenge on the Napavine Tigers, who have halted the Mountaineers from winning a district title two years in a row, fed their fire. Rainier seized the opportunity, knocking off the defending 2B state champions 51-32 at home Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The victory gave the Mountaineers sole possession of second place in the Central 2B League and a statement victory with three regular season games remaining.

“We sent a message for sure. We sent a message that we’re here to compete and that we plan on making a run for this thing,” Rainier head coach Brandon Eygabroad said. “This one had a little extra to it. The girls wanted it.”

Rainier wanted it from the opening tip, swarming the Tigers ballhandlers, scrapping for rebounds and producing open shots with active ball movement. Beckman and Askey helped the Mountaineers build an early 7-0 lead that provoked Napavine coach Shane Schutz to call for time. The onslaught continued after the timeout, as Beckman nabbed three steals in the opening quarter and staved off any Tigers from finding any kind of rhythm offensively. Swenson drilled a 3-pointer milliseconds before the horn to give Rainier a 20-4 advantage through the first eight minutes of play.

“Rainier was making it tough on us. They hit some shots, and you could tell that their kids wanted to beat us,” Schutz said. “It’s more of what they did and what we didn’t do, so they deserve the credit.”

Veterans Taylen Evander and Hayden Kaut and freshman Ava Ondong helped Napavine get back into the game early in the second, pouring in 10 unanswered points to open the frame. Rainier snapped the dry spell to close out the first half, clamping down on defense and spoiling a number of Napavine possessions by forcing turnovers. Swenson and Beckman traded triples in the final minutes, and Swenson chipped in her second buzzer-beater in as many quarters to cap off a 13-2 run that gave Rainier a 35-18 lead at halftime. All 35 of Rainier’s first-half points were scored by Swenson, Beckman and Askey, who combined to hit seven triples.

The Mountaineers were as energetic as they’ve been all season, particularly on defense and holding Napavine to just 18 points and collecting eight turnovers in the first half.

“We were locked in and we did it together, whether it was Janess and Bryn faceguarding Hayden or whether it was Angelica or Jazzlyn Shumate defending Evander or Lexi Beckman cleaning up the glass when the shot goes up,” Eygabroad said of the defense. “The special part is when we all come together and play that defense, it gives us something we can control every time down. That’s what it’s going to take down the stretch.”

Eygabroad has often challenged his team in the locker room at halftime to hold opponents to fewer points in the second half than the first, and Rainier answered that call again. After Hannah Fay knocked down a deep 2-point jumper less than a minute into the third, Napavine failed to add another field goal in the period. Rainier only scored eight points, enough to grow the lead to 22 entering the fourth.

Another one of the greatest hits on Eygabroad’s challenge list is to maintain the same focus whether his team is up 20 or down 20, no matter the opponent or stage. Swenson and Bryn Beckman checked off that box too; Swenson yelled for her team to “D up” while leading by 19 points, and Beckman bellowed, “Let’s finish this game,” in the final minute. Rainier finished the game with a 51-32 win over a Napavine team that had previously won four straight over the Mountaineers. 

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. I want them hungry and getting better every day,” Eygabroad said.

Swenson led all scorers with 15 points, while Bryn Beckman pitched in 14 and Askey added a dozen. Kaut and Evander paced the Tigers with eight points apiece.

Schutz said the Mountaineers capitalized on their hunger to end their losing streak to the Tigers and gave them their best shot. He added that if the two C2BL foes meet again in the postseason, his team will have to prepare better.

“Their fight was greater than ours. Truthfully, Rainier wanted to win this game more than we did. Hopefully we’ve learned from it and found out that everybody wants a piece of you when you’ve been successful,” Schutz said. “If we don’t prepare better and compete better, then the results will be the same.”

Rainier (15-3, 5-1 C2BL) hopes to keep its fire burning with a trip to Toutle Lake Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. for a rematch of its season-ending loss in the 2024 state Round of 12. The Mountaineers, particularly the seniors, have had this game circled on their calendar since before the season kicked off. Eygabroad wants to once again channel the revenge factor while emphasizing focus on the task at hand.

“You lean on your seniors. We’ve got four seniors who have been playing since the third grade who don’t want this to end and who will do whatever it takes for it to end the way they imagine it and that we’ve set out as a team to accomplish,” he said.

Napavine (12-5, 3-2 C2BL) will host Onalaska (14-3, 3-2 C2BL) on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. in a bout for third in the C2BL.