After a string of four wins, the Timberline Blazers's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They took a 70-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of North Thurston. While losing is never fun, Timberline can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 82nd, while North Thurston is ranked 12th).
Several Blazers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Cedric Ragland Jr, who scored 17 points along with nine rebounds. That's the first time this season that Ragland Jr scored 15 or more points. Darrell Gipson was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
Ray Adams was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 13 rebounds for North Thurston. The matchup was Adams' tenth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Liam Sheeran, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Timberline's loss dropped their record down to 7-6. As for North Thurston, they pushed their record up to 12-1 with that victory, which was their fifth straight on the road.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Timberline will take on River Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in River Ridge's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four contests. As for North Thurston, they will be playing at home against Capital at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Capital is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.
