RAYMOND — Missed shots and turnovers added up to a 54-29 loss for Raymond in a Pacific 2B League game against Ilwaco at Raymond on Thursday.
The Seagulls (3-2, 2-1) shot just 22 percent from the field and missed their first 20 shots from 3-point range against the Fishermen. Ilwaco didn’t miss many open looks, shooting over 50 percent from the floor to lead by 25 points at halftime.
Raymond came out energized in the second half and forced three turnovers before the Fishermen could put up a shot. The Gulls went on a 7-2 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter, but the deficit was too much for the Gulls to overcome.
“Early in the game, we got the shots that we needed; we just didn’t make them,” Raymond coach Jason Koski said. “We had open looks and I couldn’t ask for better spacing. Our kids ran what we wanted to run. Any time you miss those open shots you get, it puts extra pressure on you and it affects the rest of your game.”
Raymond scored the first two points of the game just one minute into the contest when Mikayla Collins rolled in a layup. However, that would be the Gulls’ lone lead of the game and their only field goal of the first quarter. Ilwaco’s Eliza Bannister hit a 3-pointer a little more than a minute later to put the Fishermen up for good.
The Gulls went 0-for-11 from the floor through the rest of the quarter, turning the ball over seven times. Ilwaco was able to turn a few of Gulls turnovers into points, scoring eight points in the final minute of the quarter. Ilwaco’s Ebby McMullen capped a 15-1 run for the Fishermen in the first with a steal and layup with just four seconds left in the first.
The second quarter started like the first with Collins putting back a rebound. But again, Ilwaco went on a run. The Fishermen worked the ball inside for a 17-2 run over the next six minutes, fueled by eight points from 6-foot post Madeline Jacobson.
Raymond came out of the halftime locker room and owned the third quarter. The Gulls’ zone defense began to force more turnovers and Raymond committed only two turnovers in the third. Offensively, the Gulls went on a 7-2 run to start the quarter, but still couldn’t find their range, missing nine more 3-pointers.
“I like the fact that we kept playing and didn’t quit,” Koski said. “I told the girls at halftime, ‘We are going to look at this as being even,’ If you look at the second half, it was 20-20. The kids didn’t quit. We will regroup. You lose, but you can’t let it define your season when you are only five games in.”
The teams traded buckets through most of the fourth quarter, but Raymond did knock down its only shot from downtown when Aubree Gardner hit a trey with 6:45 left in the game.
Koski cited Collins for her strong game against the much taller Fishermen. Collins finished with 12 points, 17 rebounds and six steals. Koski also cited Gardner, who finished with six points, and Isabel Mora, who came off the bench to add two points.
Makenzie Kaech finished with 15 points to lead the Fishermen, while Jacobson added 14 points.
Raymond travels to Lacey to take on Northwest Christian today.
Ilwaco 15 19 7 13 — 54 Raymond 3 6 9 11 — 29
Ilwaco (54) — Bannister 11, McMullen 11, Benenati, Kaech 15, Jacobson 14, Kulm 3, Thomas, Sheldon. FG — 22-53. FT — 4-7.
Raymond (29) — Williams 2, Collins 12, Gardner 6, Newman 5, Flemetis 2, Mora 2, Harland, Souvannavanh, Warnstadt. FG — 12-55. FT — 4-6.
