Raymond blasts Mabton to advance to quarterfinals

Gardner scores 30 to lead Seagulls to 65-44 win in first round of state tournament

By Ryan Sparks • March 2, 2022 6:00 pm
ERIC TRENT | THE CHRONICLE Raymond guard Kyra Gardner (21) dribbles past Mabton power forward Jasmin Chavez during the Seagulls’ 65-44 victory in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the Spokane Arena. Gardner led all scorers with 30 points.
ERIC TRENT | THE CHRONICLE Raymond guard Kyra Gardner (21) dribbles past Mabton power forward Jasmin Chavez during the Seagulls’ 65-44 victory in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the Spokane Arena. Gardner led all scorers with 30 points.

On the biggest stage you expect the stars to shine.

And the biggest star in the first round of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2B Girls State Basketball Tournament was none other than Raymond guard Kyra Gardner.

Gardner scored 30 points and nearly recorded a triple-double to lead the No. 5 Seagulls to a 65-44 thrashing over the 12th-seeded Mabton Vikings on Wednesday at the Spokane Arena.

Gardner — the Pacific League’s reigning three-time MVP and Washington State commit — was too much for the Vikings to handle, scoring 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting (52%) to go along with 10 steals, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The senior standout had plenty of help as freshman Karsyn Freeman added 13 points while Grace Busenius (8 points), Alia Enlow (5 pts.) and Kyndal Koski (5 pts.) scored at least five points apiece.

Raymond (19-2 overall) got off to a hot start against the Vikings (17-9), taking a 23-12 lead after the first quarter and led by 17 at the half.

“Starting from the tip the girls were ready to play and it showed,” Raymond head coach Jason Koski said.

The Seagulls shot a blistering 48.3% on 28-for-58 from the field, though hit on only 4-of-18 shots from 3-point range (22.2%).

Raymond outrebounded Mabton by a staggering 45-27 advantage and recorded 14 steals as a team.

But the Seagulls committed 24 turnovers, a condition Coach Koski said will need to be remedied if they are to advance to the final four.

“Rebounding was a big factor today, but 24 turnovers will not be sustainable for the next game or any others going forward,” he said.

Mabton was led by Esmerelda Sanchez’s 10 points. She was the only Viking to score in double figures.

With the win, Raymond will face No. 3 Colfax in the quarterfinals scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Thursday in Spokane.

The winner will advance to the state semifinals with the loser playing in an elimination game on Friday.

Mabton 12 11 11 10 — 44

Raymond 23 17 11 14 — 65

Scoring

Mabton (44) — Sanchez 10, Roettger 9, Zavala 8, Chavez 4, Moreno 3, Ramirez 3, Macedo 3, Bonewell 2, Simpson 2

Raymond (65) — Gardner 30, Freeman 13, Busenius 8, Koski 5, Enlow 5, Williams 4

ERIC TRENT | THE CHRONICLE Raymond guard Kyndal Koski (12) looks to shoot against Mabton defenders Keirrah Roettger (10) and Mari Galarza during Raymond’s 65-44 victory in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the Spokane Arena.

ERIC TRENT | THE CHRONICLE Raymond guard Kyndal Koski (12) looks to shoot against Mabton defenders Keirrah Roettger (10) and Mari Galarza during Raymond’s 65-44 victory in the first round of the 2B State Tournament on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the Spokane Arena.