RAINIER — From the first possession of the game on Thursday in Rainier, it was clear that it would be a night for the defenses. Both Pe Ell and Rainier were down a starter, and both teams hit just one shot in the first three minutes of the game.
The Mountaineers went on a run to build a double-digit lead in the final minutes of the first, though, and the Rainier defense did more than enough for the Mountaineers to hold on for a 41-35 victory.
“We did a good job sticking to our game plan,” Rainier coach Jordan Hunt said. “The idea was to speed them up and create turnovers, and I thought we did a good job of that in the first half.”
Pe Ell’s Karli Phelps opened the scoring about 100 seconds in with a layup, but the Mountaineers held the Trojans off the scoreboard for the next five and a half minutes.
In that span, Rainier hit four threes as part of a 14-0 run.
The offense slowed down in the second half, and though the Trojans only scored two points in the first six minutes of the second, they ended the half on a 5-0 run to go into the locker room only down seven.
Coming out of the locker room, Pe Ell continued to struggle with its consistency on the offensive end, but they found themselves within one with two minutes left in the frame.
“There were a little bit of nerves in the beginning,” Pe Ell coach Kelsey Lennox said, noting that with Maisy King out (illness), some other players had to step into bigger roles. “It’s about being confident in themselves and their teammates and getting more in a flow of what we know how to do instead of letting them control that.”
Just as it looked like Pe Ell was about to take firm control, Lexi Beckman took control in the post. She struggled to get many looks in the first half, scoring just four points, but she found her footing in the second half.
Beckman ended the Trojans’ run with a bucket in the final moments of third before scoring 10 points in the final frame to help Rainier seal the win.
“We decided to get a little more movement from the top and get (Beckman) sealed at different angles,” Hunt said. “We just wanted to get more movement from the high and low post, and then get it in down low from different angles.”
Beckman finished with a team-high 16, while Kaysen Bravo added 14, including three three-pointers.
Lennox said that after the first-quarter barrage from three, her defense became more focused on the perimeter, but she added that was no excuse for the struggles down low.
“My girls have just got to get quicker to move their feet and be able to get in front of them,” Lennox said.
Peyton Zock finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, nine blocks, and a pair of assists, while Karli Phelps tallied seven points, six steals, and five assists while navigating through Rainier’s defensive pressure.
“She did a great job staying calm and composed,” Lennox said. “She had some great passes finding girls on fast breaks and off the pick and roll.”
Madi Engel finished with three points, eight rebounds, a steal, a block, and an assist, Ruby Magruger scored a pair and grabbed six boards, Bailey Cox added two points and two steals, and Ava King logged three points and three rebounds.
Fatigue may have played a factor for the Trojans, as they ran just six deep without Maisy King. Phelps and Zock played all 32 minutes, but Lennox commended the group as a whole for continuing to battle, even after falling behind early.
“I’m proud of them for stepping up,” Lennox said. “That’s kind of something we have done in the past, if we get down, we just haven’t been able to find it to keep pushing forward. So I am proud of them for that. There’s definitely some things we’re still working out.”
On the other bench, Hunt often subbed out three or four players at a time, leading to fresher legs throughout, even without Anika Plowman and Courtney Eckroth, who left Thursday’s game with an injury.
By the end of the night, nine different Mountaineers saw the floor.
“These girls, they put in a lot of time, energy, and effort,” Hunt said. “It’s good when you get a chance to reward them for that.”
Pe Ell now sits at 1-1, and it will head to Crosspoint Christian in Bremerton on Saturday. Rainier is now also back at .500 at 2-2, and the Mountaineers will host Rochester on Friday.
“We know that growth comes in different ways,” Hunt said. “We don’t always fixate on the results. We fixate on the process. Growth looks different, and we’re gonna grow from this game.”
