The Rainier High School girls basketball team is hungrier than ever after a disappointing finish to a strong season last year.
Rainier, which began last season 22-2 entering the 2B District 4 Tournament title game against Napavine, finished the year with three straight postseason losses. The Mountaineers earned the fifth seed in the 2B state tournament in Spokane but were upset by 12th-seeded Toutle Lake in the Round of 12.
With four motivated seniors leading the way, Rainier is out for revenge in 2024-25.
“We want it. We want it really bad. We’re gonna do whatever to get there. We’re working really hard to get to that number one spot,” senior guard Angelica Askey said. “We’re hungry. Ever since we lost that game against Toutle, it’s redemption.”
Askey joins fellow seniors Brooklynn Swenson, Janess Blackburn and Bryn Beckman as the leaders of an otherwise young and inexperienced team. The Mountaineers’ top two post players moved on as starter Haleigh Hanson graduated, and Anika Plowman is focusing on other sports. Acacia Murphy, a key player off the bench, also did not return for a senior season.
Seventh-year head coach Brandon Eygabroad believes his four seniors, most of whom have played alongside each other since elementary school, don’t need motivation ahead of their final year in orange and black. But he knows there’s fuel in the tank.
“That wasn’t a good representation of our season or what we are about,” Eygabroad said of last season’s finish. “At the end of the day, it should be used as fuel, and that’s what we want. That’s not us. Let’s not ever put ourselves in a position to be there again.”
So much of last season was spent preparing for an extended stay in Spokane. Whether it was in practice or up by 40 in a non-league game, the standard of excellence was the same. But Eygabroad admitted that the Mountaineers lost their confidence late last year and are looking to the “Fab Four” to correct that this winter.
“We got a little shaky. We started questioning ourselves and who we are, our identity,” he said. “Our goal this year is to have our identity be so solid that no one can shake it. Whether we’re up by 20 or down by 20, the goal is to be looking like the same team and you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two teams.
“In the Toutle Lake game, we were looking around looking for answers rather than finding those answers,” Eygabroad continued. “With four senior leaders, the hope is that they’re ready to bring it each and every game with that mentality of who’s not looking around to do it for me, but let’s do it together.”
The four veterans will have a heavy load to carry on their shoulders this season, and three in particular will have to carry on without Beckman, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery and is not expected to make her debut until mid-January. Juniors Jazzlyn Shumate and Zaylee Bravo will be expected to substitute for Beckman, who is one of Rainier’s top on-ball defenders, rebounders and clutch shooters. Freshman Kaysen Bravo will also provide depth in the backcourt.
Despite not participating in practice with her teammates, Beckman has made an impact through her vocal leadership and by her work ethic, going through her personal training off to the side or practicing flat-footed jumpers on the opposite end of the court.
“She’s shown that she’s not just sitting on the ground. She’s still working hard. You can tell that she still really wants to be here,” Swenson said of Beckman.
Beckman is taking the necessary steps to ensure she’s back and healthy for her team. After spending six weeks on crutches, she finally picked up a basketball again a couple weeks before practice. She had previously never gone that long without touching a ball.
“Weirdly enough, my muscle memory really came in clutch. It wasn’t like I had to completely start from the starting point. It’s hard because I’m an extremist and I want to go, ‘OK, I’m ready. I can walk. Let’s run,’” Beckman said. “The biggest thing for me is taking it step by step and knowing that the more I listen to my physical therapist and the people that support me, and the slower I take it, the better I’ll be in the long run.”
Askey has stepped up in the leadership role and is embracing it despite being in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. She has leaned on Swenson to learn how to lead vocally and by example.
“I know I can do more as a player and as a point guard and knowing where people can go. Brooklynn has always been that leader. I didn’t have that spot last year. I wasn’t that leader,” she said. “I’m stepping up, and Brooklynn has definitely taught me a lot.”
Blackburn will be taking on a new role as a post player, a process that began over the summer in tournaments with her Rainier teammates as well as the AAU circuit. Eighth grader Lexi Beckman, Bryn’s little sister only in age, will be asked to play a big role as the tallest player on the roster.
“She’s really gonna provide a good interior presence for us,” Eygabroad said.
Despite being in middle school, Lexi Beckman has impressed her teammates with her energy and effort on the floor. Swenson said she’s “very vocal for how young she is,” and Askey complimented her leadership on the floor.
“During summer ball, she was our sixth man, so coming off the bench, she was already playing her role,” she said of Beckman. “In practice, she’s really encouraging. She’s talking to me if I wasn’t doing good, or if I wasn’t getting to the right place on defense, she’s gonna push me to that place. She’s already taking that leader role, so that’s really impressive for an eighth grader to take on that role against high schoolers.”
Beckman has perhaps taken after the four senior leaders, whom Eygabroad said have set the example for strong leadership and communication in practice.
“They’ve brought not just the communication but the positivity and energy that a leader has to bring. Anybody can yell and scream, but it’s the message that they’re delivering,” he said.
The small details were key factors in Rainier’s downfall last winter, and Eygabroad and assistant coaches Blair Lewis and John Beckman are locked in on every detail in practice, including footwork on defense, passing, transition offense and defense, and, most of all, focus.
“They’re focused,” Eygabroad said of the players. “Even when they’re sore and they’re a little tired, they’re finding that within. We’ve been talking about finding that extra little bit because you always have more to give to the team. I’m hoping that hunger stays throughout the year, but it’s a long season. Finding ways to motivate ourselves throughout is definitely a challenge. But I’m a little less worried this year than others with that senior leadership.”
Rainier kicked off its campaign with a jamboree on Friday, Nov. 29, before its season opener at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at home against Mountain View. The Mountaineers will only play eight Central 2B League contests and are not scheduled to face any league opponents twice. League play begins with a road test at Adna on Jan. 10.
