First impressions proved to be lasting impressions in Mount Rainier's 56-33 ransacking of home-standing Auburn in Thursday, January 27, Class 4A South Puget Sound League North Division girls basketball action.
Mount Rainier (14-3, 10-3 league) holds a two-game clearance over the fourth place team in the North with three games remaining in the regular season and seems a solid lock for solo third place in the league playoff structure.
"We're pretty well positioned for third place," said MR head coach Bob Bolam. "I'm fine with this. We're just working harder on what we're already doing. Our goal is to work hard to be better on our execution. I'd like to have a win against a team that's ahead of us in the standings and be playing well going into the playoffs."
Only first place Kentwood (11-0) and second place Auburn Riverside (11-1) have defeated the Rams in close battles. Mount Rainier had one more chance against the Conquerors on Saturday.
In essence on Thursday, both teams played strongly, with Mount Rainier holding clear advantages in skill level, experience and depth.
At the outset, the Trojans broke to a 4-0 lead, but in true workmanlike fashion, the Rams methodically mounted their motion offense behind prodigious point guard Jordan McPhee to open up high percentage inside looks at the basket. Jordan's sister Brittany and Kia Gandy toiled inside the block as main recipients of the Mount Rainier ball movement.
Combined with defensive thievery and Trojan mistakes, the Rams rocked to 11 consecutive points and notched a 5-0 scoring run to end the quarter with a 16-6 margin. Jordan McPhee scored eight points in the telling first quarter story line.
The Mount Rainier lead reached 25 points near the end of the game as the the rocking Rams rolled in preparation of the league stretch run and the impending post season match ups.
Freshman Jordan McPhee observed her individual development and the team's progress during the season.
"I've improved by having less turnovers and learning to work more as a team instead of an individual," she said after tallying 17 points to go along with six steals and six assists.
Five-foot, 10-inch freshman Brittany McPhee continued her leading role for the Rams by posting a double-double of 21 points and 17 big boards. Seven steals capped another outstanding performance for the Ram athlete who was sixth in the state (All-Classifications) girls scoring (20.9 points per game) through January 26.
