Davenport cruises to Winterfest win

REARDAN - The Davenport Gorillas came to town on the heels of a loss to Okanogan Saturday that dropped them from the top 2B team in the state to the third slot. An enthusiastic Winterfest crowd watched as the Gorillas took out their frustrations on the Screaming Eagles, winning 67-43 Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Davenport came out of the chute ready to play. The Gorillas jumped to an early lead behind Tennessee Rainwater's dominance at the offensive end of the court. He scored 10 of his team's 21 points in the first quarter.

Rysen Soliday was the sole bright spot for Reardan, scoring seven of his team's 10 points. After one quarter Davenport led 21-10.

In the second quarter Davenport continued its superior play, outscoring Reardan 14-8. No Reardan player had more than two points in the quarter. Rainwater scored six points and Cash Colbert scored four. Davenport extended its lead at halftime to 35-18.

Throughout the game, Rainwater and Colbert commanded the paint with their rebounding and put backs for scores. In the second half, Davenport relied on its outside shooting, making seven 3-point shots. The Gorillas scored 32 points in the half compared to Reardan's 25 en route to a 67-43 win.

"It was a great atmosphere tonight," Davenport head coach Matt Henry said. "It was a good bounce-back game. I felt we played pretty darn good defense in the first half and executed what we had to in our game plan."

Rainwater scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Brenick Soliday scored 12 points and Colbert scored 10 points and grabbed a game high 11 rebounds. Jaeger Jacobsen added nine points on three straight 3-point shots in the third quarter.

Rysen Soliday and Jakari Singleton led Reardan in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Evan Krupke and Singleton each hauled in five rebounds.

"We played pretty well tonight," Colbert said. "We started out quick but had a brief lull in the second quarter. In the second half we finished strong. After our last game, we really wanted this win."

Reardan head coach Brian Graham felt his team did not feed off the Winterfest excitement inside the gym.

"Our game plan went out the window early when Davenport got some super easy transition points," Graham said. "28 of their first half points were in the paint. They are a very talented team. There was a lot of energy in the gym, but our boys came out flat. We just need to stay the course and get ready for Kettle Falls."

The win improved Davenport's record to 11-1 in NE2B play. Reardan dropped to 4-7.

Reardan's next game is Friday, Jan. 27 at Kettle Falls. Davenport plays the same night at Northwest Christian.