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The Rice Raiders basketball team improved their district record to 6-1 and extended their winning streak to four games.
The Raiders victories over both Hallettsvi lle and Palacios also helped them strengthen their grip on the top spot in the district standings.
VS. HALLETTSVILLE, W, 52-48
In their first game the high-flying Raiders went to work against one of the best teams in the district. They came out strong and jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
While the offense of the Raiders has been everything promised this year their defense tends to get overlooked. In this game though the defense was in the spotlight for most of the game.
They came up with big blocks and steals at crucial points in the game, which got the ball back into their offense’s hands. On top of that they won the rebounding battle which is vital to winning any basketball game.
Deveron Bennett is an asset to the Raiders because he is so good in the paint at corralling rebounds and getting his team back on offense.
A healthy combination of defense and offense led the Raiders to victory but they still had one more game to get through this week.
@ PALACIOS, W, 46-30 The Raiders continued to roll against Palacios on Friday night to end their week with a huge, 16-point win.
Palacios has been struggling this season and the Raiders jumped all over them from the opening tip-off. While Palacios is struggling, they are still a scrappy team that will play to the final whistle.
They made a late push against the Raiders to try to get themselves back into the game but the Raiders defense again stood tall and closed out the game.
With a 6-1 district record the Raiders are currently in first place in the district and will be looking to add to their win totals.
They are scheduled to take on Industrial on Monday, Jan. 20, just in time to beat the cold weather.
