The Rainier High School boys basketball team nearly crawled out of a 12-point second-half hole against Toledo, but the Mountaineers never led in their 54-47 home loss to the Riverhawks Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Jake Meldrum scored more than half of Rainier’s points with 25 despite being held scoreless in the first quarter, yet offensive rebounds and key missed shots down the stretch doomed the Mountaineers’ comeback hopes.
“We just got beat. They made more plays than us. We’ve got to do a better job of limiting them to one shot,” Rainier head coach Ben Sheaffer said.
Tyce Vigre and Cooper Fallon each logged a double-double in Toledo’s victory; Vigre nabbed a team-high 14 points and grabbed 11 boards while Fallon tallied 12 points and 17 rebounds.
It was freshman Conner Hill who blitzed the Mountaineers early with back-to-back 3-pointers in less than a minute to give the Riverhawks a 13-2 lead out of the gate.
Rainier’s defense played tough and disciplined for most of the first half, forcing difficult passes and ill-advised shots late in the shot clock. The Mountaineers defended the first shot attempt well but allowed far too many second and third attempts off of offensive rebounds, particularly by Fallon.
“The rebound and putback is the thing that is always the dagger. It pisses you off as a coach when you’re on the wrong end of it, but when it’s you, you’re like, ‘Yes,’” Toledo head coach Grady Fallon said.
Meldrum caught fire with 11 second-quarter points, scoring the last nine to end the first half and narrow Toledo’s lead to 25-18 at halftime.
After the Riverhawks matched their biggest lead of the night at a dozen one minute into the third, Rainier raced back to within a point by virtue of a 13-2 sprint led by Meldrum hurting the Riverhawks with his scoring and defense.
But each offensive rebound and putback layup by Toledo was more backbreaking than the previous as the fourth quarter began. As the deficit returned to three possessions, all Rainier could do was foul to stop the clock. Toledo missed a handful of free throws and Peyton Sheaffer’s triple made it 51-47 with just under 90 seconds left, but the Mountaineers couldn’t draw any closer. Toledo knocked off Rainier 54-47 for the first time on Rainier’s home floor in nearly seven years.
“I asked Ben after the game, ‘Have I ever beaten you?’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t think so.’ He knew but didn’t want to admit it,” Grady Fallon said. “It’s been a while since we’ve beat them. We’re sitting good right now.”
Rainier (7-4, 4-4 Central 2B League) has now lost four of its last six league games after winning its first two. The good news is that the Mountaineers are slowly returning to full health, as Hunter Howell, who missed three games, and Peyton Sheaffer, who missed four, are readjusting after weeks on the sideline. Starting guard Josh Meldrum remains out with a foot injury, however.
Ben Sheaffer is proud of how his team has continued to fight despite the adversity over the past month, especially after trailing by 12 in the second half against the Riverhawks and chipping away at the deficit.
“We started to play with a little more urgency and a little more passion,” he said of Rainier’s comeback. “It’s funny how the game honors toughness. You start playing harder and the ball bounces your way. These guys don’t give up. We made a nice run at it, but it was kind of too little too late.”
Rainier hosts Onalaska (5-6, 4-4 C2BL) on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. looking to avoid a season sweep by the Loggers. Toledo (10-1, 6-1 C2BL) returns home Thursday night to host Napavine (8-1, 6-0 C2BL) at 7 p.m. in a showdown between league title contenders.
