Raiders basketball takes two tight losses

The Rice Raiders’ basketball team gave themselves opportunities to win in each of their games last week against district opponents. The Raiders were able to keep up with the scoring efforts of each team as they lost both games by less than six points. However, their defense halted any chance they had of climbing over the hump to secure victory in either game.

The Raiders started their week with a Tuesday night defeat to Hallettsville by a 57-51 margin. D’Neriyan Fuller led the team with 15 points to help Rice keep up in scoring. Jon Woods supplied some significant support with a 14-point effort of his own. Senior Jalen Porch added 12 points to round out the team’s top three scorers.

Rice followed up their defeat to Hallettsville with another loss, this time to Tidehaven by a 55-50 margin. The Raiders once again were able to stay connected on the scoreboard due to their offensive attack, but they did not get enough stops to support their offense as they suffered a second- straight defeat. Woods took the leading role on the offensive end in this game, scoring 16 points. Porch finished with the second-highest total on the team after an 11-point outing, and Dyren Johnson was the final player to finish with double figures as his 10 points helped bolster the offense.