The Decatur Golden Gators's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their ninth straight defeat. They lost to Mt. Rainier at home by a decisive 71-52 margin. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Decatur in their matchups with the Rams: they've now lost seven in a row.
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.
It was another big night for Zach Luz, who almost dropped a triple-double on 36 points, nine rebounds, and 11 steals for Mt. Rainier. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Luz 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 has traveled a rocky road recently having lost ten of their last 11 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-15 record this season. As for Mt. Rainier, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 11-8.
Decatur won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on January 31st. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Washington (Auburn Riverside is ranked 235th, while the Golden Gators are ranked 254th). As for Mt. Rainier, they 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 games.
