Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Gorillas control paint against NWC
The Davenport boys basketball poses with their District 7 Championship trophy earned after a 65-49 win over Northwest Christian in the District title game at West Valley High School Saturday, Feb. 11. The Gorillas host Tonasket in a District 6/7 Crossover to go to state Friday, Feb. 17.
SPOKANE VALLEY - After he suffered a hip flexor injury three nights prior, the Davenport coaching staff didn't even know if their best player, Tennessee Rainwater, would be available for the District 7 Championship against Northwest Christian.
After some physical therapy and painkillers, Rainwater was more than available, scoring 33 points and grabbing eight rebounds in said Championship game. Toss in a dominant 24 point and 10 rebound effort from Cash Colbert, and the Gorillas were able to secure a District title with a 65-49 victory over the Crusaders at West Valley High School Saturday, Feb. 11.
"I've been riding with these guys since freshman year, and I wasn't going to give it up for a little injury," Rainwater said. "So I wrapped it up, took some Ibuprofen and played through it...it hurts, but we have a long break so I'm excited to get back healthy."
The game tipped off with Avi West getting a breakway layup on a miscommunication by the Davenport defense. Then, Rainwater came down and hit a three-pointer.
Those three points were the first of 15 for the senior in the first quarter as the Gorillas built a 19-9 lead.
Colbert and Rainwater continued to dominate the paint with offensive rebounds and finishes around the basket, using their size to overwhelm the Northwest Christian defense. The pair had combined for 31 of Davenport's 34 points by halftime as the Gorillas took a nine-point lead into the break.
"Last game I didn't come out and execute as well as I wanted to, so this game I had to have a bunch of confidence because I knew (Rainwater) was down," Colbert said. "I just had to come out and execute and find the open players and hit my open shots."
Davenport used a third-quarter spurt to build a lead as high as 16 points. Northwest Christian trimmed that lead as low as seven, but never truly threatened behind continued paint scoring from Rainwater and Colbert and two timely threes from Brenick Soliday and Jaeger Jacobsen.
"Defensively we're getting better at knowing preferences and what our job is," Davenport head coach Matt Henry said.
The win gave Davenport a District 7 trophy and the opportunity to cut down the nets as league champions. But the team hopes these aren't the last nets they'll cut down this season, with eyes on a state title at the Spokane Arena in March.
"We just have to keep playing together and being smart," Colbert said. "This is just one step. We're going to take this as momentum, but this is only the start, honestly."
To reach the Arena and work toward that ultimate goal, Davenport must win a District 6/7 Crossover game against Tonasket, which finished fifth in the District 6 2B Tournament. Tonasket comes to West Valley for a loser-out, winner-to-state game that tips at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17.
Northwest Christian hosts Liberty Bell at West Valley in another crossover game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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