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The Raiders spent some time during the winter break to take on the Nixon-Smiley varsity tournament. Rice had some strong performances during the tourney, especially on the offensive end. In their wins, the Raiders offense was effective and potent. Led by All-Tournament selections Jalen Porch and Dyren Johnson, the Raiders reached the thirdplace game against Navarro in which they were defeated and claimed fourth place at the tournament.
Vs Jourdanton, W, 62-57
The Raiders started their tournament run with a close win over Jourdanton after some strong scoring performances from Jalen Porch and Jon Woods. Porch added a team-leading 21 points as he took the lead in breaking down the opposing defense. Woods picked up 15 points as the two players made up a potent 1-2 punch against Jourdanton.
Their offense continued a positive trend in this game as they have found increased success in recent games. The victory over Jourdanton marked the second time in the last three games that the Raiders had scored more than 60 points. Rice has won in every game this season in which they have reached at least 60 points.
Vs Sacred Heart, W, 67-62
Rice continued their hot stretch on the offensive end into their next game against Sacred Heart. The Raiders had to face some adversity in this game to claim victory. After falling behind early in the first half, Rice came out of halftime and had one of the best halves of their season to come back for the tight win. They scored 20 points in the third quarter and had a huge 29-point quarter in the fourth to secure the win.
Five players scored in double figures for the Raiders as they had several players step up in that second half to complete the comeback effort. They were led once again by Jalen Porch as he finished with 18 points. Robert Bennett was the team’s second-leading scorer with 14 points for the offense.
Vs Nixon-Smiley, L, 46-61 The Raiders had some difficulties defensively against the tournament host’s offensive attack. They struggled to contain their scorers and were not able to recreate some of the offensive pop they had the previous day of the tournament. The Mustangs took advantage of a Rice defense that had struggled somewhat leading up to their matchup. Rice’s loss to Nixon-Smiley marked the fourth time in the last five games that they had allowed an opponent to reach the 60-point threshold. Jalen Porch was the offensive leader with 11 points.
With the loss, the Raiders failed to qualify for the championship game and set themselves up for a thirdplace game against Navarro.
Vs Navarro, L, 47-62
Many of the problems the Raiders faced in the prior game resurfaced as they fell by a nearly similar margin to claim fourth place in the tournament. They allowed another team to score over 60 points as their defense continued to struggle. The offense similarly was not nearly as effective as it had been in previous games in the tournament. Jalen Porch finished his tournament on a strong note with a 21-point performance as a bright spot in the loss.
