AUBURN - Last Saturday was a final night of game situation preparation for the rugged road to the state girls basketball tournament.

State 10th-ranked Mount Rainier tuned up for the Class 4A West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament by destroying South Puget Sound League South No. 3 Rogers of Puyallup, 63-28, to claim the fifth seed from the SPSL sub-district tournament on the court of Auburn High School.

Sometimes, maintaining great intensity and focus against outgunned opponents can be a demanding task.

In the case of SPSL North No. 3 Mount Rainier (18-3), playing hard, no matter what the situation may be, comes naturally.

"It's not hard," said Ram head coach Bob Bolam. "We've played the same for every game and stayed after it all year. The girls really like to get after people."

In this instance, the running Rams from Des Moines settled the issue immediately. Led by 10 inside points from forward Brittany McPhee, the Mount Rainier contingent raced to an 18-7 lead near the end of the first quarter.

The inside and outside offensive plans clicked equally well, with Kiana Gandy helping out in the paint, abetted by three-pointers from Jordan McPhee and Zerina Kapetanovic.

Every facet of the Mount Rainier arsenal functioned mightily. Like racing hydroplanes, the Rams left the Rams of Rogers far behind their roostertail, establishing leads of 42 points twice as reserves honed their skills for the next level of playoff action.

Brittany McPhee scored 19 points while collecting 10 caroms off the glass. Sister Jordan McPhee added 12 points, five assists and four steals as Gandy worked for eight Mount Rainier points.

For senior Caroline Codd, this season has been a truly satisfying experience.

"This is going great," she said. "We're better than last year (a Class 3A state tournament appearance). This is a completely different team with great new players. As a team, everybody contributes, leaving everything on the floor."

Codd notched four points to go along with five rebounds, four steals and three assists.

According to Bolam, Codd is raising her level of play for the playoffs, much like she did last season.