ONALASKA — Onalaska head coach Alana Olson never lost faith in her team as the Loggers watched their big lead disappear in the fourth quarter against Rainier Thursday night.
Fresh off a 17-0 run to end the third quarter, Onalaska couldn’t extend its lead in the fourth but did just enough to stave off the Mountaineers’ furious rally in a 43-36 win in a non-league bout between two Central 2B League foes. The Loggers led by as many as 16 on two occasions, and a 10-0 Rainier run in the final four minutes wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
“We got a little bit passive on offense, and I think we just need to continue working on patience but still being aggressive and taking care of the basketball,” Olson said. “They dug deep, and they knew what they were supposed to do. [Rainier] made a little run, but it didn’t make me super nervous because I have faith in this group.”
Both teams struggled mightily on offense in the first half, with Rainier holding a 10-8 edge entering the second quarter. Lexi Beckman, standing four inches taller than any Onalaska player, made life difficult for any Logger looking to drive into the paint. However, the Mountaineers’ miscommunication on offense led to sloppy turnovers as Rainier turned it over five times in the first eight minutes.
Neither offense got it going in the second quarter either, with the two teams combining for 15 points and 15 turnovers. Onalaska held a 17-16 halftime lead.
The back-and-forth action continued in the third quarter, and consecutive buckets by Beckman gave Rainier a 22-21 advantage with 5 minutes and 29 seconds left in the third. Onalaska then rattled off 17 consecutive points to finish the frame, fueled by 3-pointers from Mia Olson and Leah Hamilton.
“Fatigue started to set in,” Rainier head coach Jordan Hunt said of Onalaska’s blitz. “We weren’t talking. When you’re not in shape, you miss a lot of shots you shouldn’t miss. It’s gonna come back to conditioning and getting ourselves in top shape.”
Onalaska’s third quarter against Rainier was a much different eight minutes than its season opener against Lynden Christian on Tuesday, when the Loggers were outscored 20-6 after trailing 35-29 at halftime.
Down 38-22 entering the fourth, the Mountaineers slowly chipped away by drawing fouls to stop the clock and forcing Onalaska turnovers. Freshman Courtney Eckroth made a difference on the offensive glass and converted multiple putback layups, while Beckman brought Rainier to within six points after a pair of buckets in the paint, the latter coming with 37 ticks left.
A Rainier foul caused two misses at the free-throw line by Randi Haight, but the Mountaineers turned the ball over on their next two possessions with a chance to cut the lead to three or four.
Onalaska’s bench sighed a breath of relief as the final buzzer rang, marking the Loggers’ (1-1) first win of the season. Emalie Jacoby and Leighton Underhill led the way with eight points apiece, while Kaiyah Sandridge racked up six steals. Jacoby and Mia Olson each nabbed five steals.
“Our defense definitely sparked our offense tonight. In the second half, Emalie Jacoby did a great job on Lexi Beckman. Beckman’s tough to defend,” Olson said. “She was giving us problems in the first half. Emalie stepped up and played great defense on her, and everyone else rallied around. We just played better team defense. We wanted to come out with a lot of energy.”
As for Rainier (1-2), the Mountaineers, who are looking for an identity without four of their starters from last season, believe Beckman can be the key moving forward, but other young players must step up, Hunt said. Beckman led all scorers with 16 points, and Eckroth was the only other scorer in double figures with 10. No one else scored more than two.
“We’ve got a team that, when they’re motivated and they’re hot, they’re hot and they want to get after it,” he said. “Sometimes, that drops off, and that starts with me as the coach. I’ve got to do a better job of getting us in shape and building that toughness so it’s consistent for the whole game. I told the girls that we are a young team, but we want to make sure we don’t ever make that an excuse because the standard that we want to hold ourselves at is higher than just settling with, ‘We’re young.’ We want to be at the top.”
Onalaska will host Adna (1-0) Wednesday night, while Rainier will return home to face Pe Ell next Thursday.
