Winning is just a little bit easier when your three-point shooting is a whole 20% better than the opposition, a fact the Mt. Rainier Rams proved on Tuesday. They strolled past Decatur with points to spare, taking the game 71-52. Given Mt. Rainier's advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 122nd, while the Golden Gators are ranked 254th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Zach Luz was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a triple-double on 36 points, nine rebounds, and 11 steals. That makes it seven consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Mt. Rainier's points. Another player making a difference was Owen Brown, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Decatur's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dominique Degrate, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Joshua Carter, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Mt. Rainier has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. As for Decatur, they are on a nine-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-15.
Mt. Rainier and the Bears will face off at 7:00 p.m. on February 2nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Tahoma has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,447 points over their last 20 matchups. As for Decatur, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on January 31st.
