At this time last season, the Rainier High School boys basketball team sat at 4-3 with just a 1-3 start in Central 2B League play.
This time around, the Mountaineers are off to the races at 6-1 and 3-0 in league action, as of Thursday, Dec. 14. All six wins have come after the team’s season-opening loss at Eatonville, and head coach Ben Sheaffer’s team is playing its best basketball right now.
The Mountaineers bested Onalaska on its home floor on Tuesday, Dec. 12 behind its strongest defensive performance of the young season. They held the Loggers to 34 points in the 64-34 victory, with four scorers in double figures.
“We really shared the ball well tonight,” Sheaffer said after the win over the Loggers. “When guys were open, we found them either on cuts to the basket or for catch-and-shoot jump shots. Our defense got us going early, leading to some easy transition baskets.”
Rainier followed it up with a feat that no Mountaineers team had done since 2008: They defeated Adna. The Mountaineers snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Pirates with a 65-45 road win on Thursday, Dec. 14. Johnny Boesch led the team with 17 points, Joshua Meldrum added 12 and Hunter Howell scored 11 in the win.
“We are super excited with the way we defended tonight. We were so connected and executed the game plan to perfection,” Sheaffer said. “We really respect Adna and the way they do things, which makes this win so satisfying. With that said, we are embracing our identity of being gritty, defending and playing together on the offensive end.”
The Mountaineers are one of two undefeated teams in Central 2B League play, along with Napavine. They hosted league foe Wahkiakum on Tuesday, Dec. 19, but results were not available before press time. Rainier is set to tip off its next game against non-league Mabton High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22 at home, the first of back-to-back non-league games this weekend.
