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The Rice Raiders participated in a tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28, and Friday, Dec. 29, and started off with a 2-0 record.
The Raiders faced off with Louise and Ganado to start the tournament and picked up two big wins in those games.
Vs. Louise, W, 63-43
The Raiders started things off with a massive 20-point win over Louise in game one of the tournament.
The Raiders jumped out to an early lead that Louise could not overcome and they were able to close out the game because of it. The large lead allowed the Raiders to play a little bit looser offensively and really focused on the defensive end of the floor.
While fans got a taste of the high-flying Raiders’ offense, they were still treated to the Raiders’ defense putting on a masterclass of defense. The Raiders defense completely dominated the first half and in the second half Lousie’s offense found some success thanks to some adjustments, but the Raiders defense never blinked.
The Raiders always kept the game in front of them and stayed out of foul trouble leading to their victory over Louise, but they were not done yet as a game with Ganado loomed in the distance.
@ Ganado, W, 61-53
The Raiders entered game two of their back-to-back feeling confident because of how they played in the first game.
They carried over that same style of play into game two and it led them to an eight-point win over Ganado. The Raiders offense was a big story in this one and helped the defense stabilize themselves as the game went along.
The two teams traded baskets to start the game, but the Raiders were again able to establish a lead early on. Ganado would make pushes and get close to tying the game or taking the lead but each time they did the Raiders were there to suck the wind out of their sails with a bucket to get their fans back into the game.
With time winding down the Raiders defense led to offense as the Raiders shutdown Ganado and capitalized on several fast breaks to extend their lead late. As the clock hit zero the Raiders found themselves with a 2-0 record and set their sights on their next opponents.
The Raiders are looking to continue to stack up wins at the tournament with two tough teams scheduled next in Boling and Victoria Home School Cobras.
