Bombers Take the Win Again - by Brooklyn Butler
On Saturday night, the Richland Bombers took on the Chiawana Riverhawks at Art Dawald Gymnasium. Richland was coming in with an impressive 13-0 winning streak in the district. Chiawana came in looking for revenge, being 11-2, with their only losses against the Kennewick Lions and the Richland Bombers. Richland played a close game against Kennewick on January 21st, barely winning by 3 points with a final score of 58-55. The Bombers entered the game determined to keep their undefeated streak, and Chiawana was very motivated to take them down. Although the Riverhawks put some of their best work out on the court, they ultimately couldn't come away with the win. The Bombers took this game with a final score of 83-73.
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| Photo: @dames_captures |
This game is one of the final basketball matches of the regular season. The state rankings before the game had Chiawana sitting at 7th and Richland down at 17th. It is safe to say that this fueled the Bombers to prove these ranking wrongs and take home the win. They had been highly successful this season and were looking to continue that. The Bombers got the ball right from the start at the tip-off, and Landen Northrop set the tone with an easy shot in the first 15 seconds. The first foul of the night was by Gage Williams on Northrop, which led to a quick 3-point addition, leading us 9-2. The Riverhawks worked hard to return from this early lead with a couple of layups and quick steals.
With barely a second left in the first quarter, Santana takes a ¾ court shot, leaving the crowd speechless as he ties the game at 19-19. The Riverhawks were putting up a good fight and had an impressive comeback after quite a few missed three-pointers by the Bombers and a quick recovery by Chiawana. When asked what they needed to execute in order to take the win, Chiawana player Ender Douglass stated, “We need to hit our shots and bring energy on offense and defense, especially since it’s at Richland and it's going to be a packed house,” With an impressive buzzer shot and tied score at the end of the first quarter, it can be said that they brought some energy early on in the game.
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| Photo: @dames_captures |
During the second quarter, the teams stay neck and neck with shots on both ends and well-played rebounds. A few minutes in, Chiawana takes the lead for a short minute with a score of 25-23 after Devin makes a layup. This motivates Richland to take some risky shots with an incredible three-pointer by Northrop and a well-executed layup by Sylen. Junior Nate Moore impresses the team after coming in hot with a three-pointer and layup in the second quarter. Being fresh off an injury that set him behind at the beginning of the season, Moore is earning his spot back with his spot-on shooting and assists. By the end of the first half, Richland regains their lead with a score of 39-28.
Lance starts the third quarter with a layup, and Santana returns quickly with another shot. Junior Santana Sifuentes plays well throughout the game, unafraid of pushing against the taller Richland players and frequently putting up shots. Regardless, the Bombers keep their lead for the remainder of 3rd with some steals and great plays. With the chance to talk to Jackson Woodard before the game, I asked what they needed to bring tonight to ensure they took home the win again. He replied, “We need to play defense and communicate with each other on the court,” With determination, the Bombers proved their defense with many blocks and steals. After a foul on Northrop, he makes both free throws, and then with a quick turnover, Northop ends this quarter with a buzzer three-pointer and a score of 65-43.
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| Photo: @dames_captures |
With the fourth quarter starting up, the Riverhawks start with a layup, and the Bomber match that energy with a quick play and another easy layup, keeping their impressive lead. With 3 minutes left in the final quarter, Chiawana started putting more points up as Richland put in some players that we usually don't see as often. They made a decent comeback but ultimately couldn't be the team to take away Richland’s undefeated season, and the Bombers took home the win with a final score of 83-73.
After this win, Richland is now 13-0, looking at a high possibility of MCC Champs. As they wrap up their regular season, the Bomber team is looking to continue their successful run and hopefully on their way to another shot in the state tournament.
