Dylan Wilhelm / For Nisqually Valley News
Early in the fourth quarter in Winlock on Friday, Jan. 30, Rainier was staring down the barrel of a potential collapse. The Mountaineers built a double-digit lead early, but the Cardinals had stormed back and were within four.
Rainier didn’t falter, though, instead, flipping a switch and pulling away for a 58-42 victory.
“It’s always about us,” Rainier coach Ben Sheaffer said. “We just decided that we were gonna turn it up, compete, and get some stops.”
That statement was as true late as it was early, when Rainier opened the game on a 16-3 run.
Ty Beckman connected from beyond the arc, Peyton Sheaffer and Jordan Pringle hit twice from the floor, and Nehemiah Linson added a bucket of his own to kickstart the Mountaineers.
Just as it seemed like a Rainier blowout was in store, Winlock’s Freddy Patching hit three three-pointers in the second, trimming the deficit to nine and forcing a Rainier timeout.
The Mountaineers came out of the timeout in the press, which helped limit Patching and the Cardinals’ run, and Pringle and Linson both hit threes to push the lead back to double-digits.
“We had a couple breakdowns,” Ben Sheaffer said. “We’re still working on communicating loud enough where we can hear each other in a district atmosphere. We cleaned that up and did a better job of that.”
In the third quarter, Winlock began to chip away.
Patching hit two more threes as part of an eight-point frame, Arean Thapa, Lucas Kilber, and Julien Auve added baskets. On the other end, Rainier went cold before re-igniting in the final stretch.
Peyon Sheaffer scored six points in the fourth as part of his 17 point night, while Pringle finished with 11 and both Beckman and Linson scored 10.
Patching finished with 25 points to lead the Cardinals, and Arean Thapa scored nine in his final home game as a Cardinal.
Winlock coach Adam Deck praised Thapa for his progression throughout his senior season, saying that he challenged Thapa to take on a role as a leader.
“He’s taken that challenge to the next level,” Deck said. “He’s really stepped up. He accepted it, and he’s thriving in it.”
Thapa wasn’t the only senior recognized on Friday night, as both Cali Geehan and Victoria Sancho were also honored. Both Geehan and Sancho were set to play for the Winlock girls before that season was canceled, and they both have been playing on the boys junior varsity for much of the season.
On Friday, both Geehan and Sancho were a part of the starting lineups in their final home game.
“They’re two of our best JV players,” Deck said. “I’m happy we could do that for them. I hope that they enjoyed their time … We’re proud of them.”
Deck was honest about Winlock’s (2-17, 1-14 C2BL) season, saying it’s been a “really tough year,” but he has been happy with the progress and belief he’s seen sprout in the last few weeks.
“The culture here has been to hang your head when we get down,” Deck said. “The last couple of games, we have not done that. We’re starting to believe in ourselves … They never gave up, and we kept working hard.”
The Cardinals will enter their final league game of the season tied with Morton-White Pass for the C2BL’s eighth and final playoff spot. Winlock will head to Napavine, while MWP will travel to Adna.
If both teams have the same outcome on Monday, they will meet in a tiebreaker matchup in Toledo on Thursday. The winner will advance to the district tournament, while the loser will be done.
Rainier’s (10-9, 8-7 C2BL) playoff berth is secured, but the Mountaineers are still battling for seeding. They are hosting Toledo on Monday, when a win would guarantee them the four, while a loss could lead to a coin flip to break a tie at four and five with Onalaska.
Regardless of Monday’s outcome, Ben Sheaffer knows his team is up to the challenge.
“We’re just excited to have one more home game for our seniors,” Ben Sheaffer said. “One more game to see what we’re made of and try to come together as we prepare for the district tournament … As we move into the postseason, we know what we need to work on, but we’re very happy with where we’re headed.”
