Raigan Barrett passes 2,000 career points, but Rogers falls to Moses Lake in 4A state opener
Rogers senior Raigan Barrett accomplished something not many high school basketball players get to do on Wednesday, when she surpassed 2,000 career points in a loser-out game of the 4A state tournament against Moses Lake at the Tacoma Dome.
Unfortunately for Barrett, that memory will coincide with the day her season, and her high-school career, came to an end as the No. 8 Rams fell 61-43 to the No. 9 Chiefs.
It’s definitely been a huge goal of mine,” Barrett said. “Just to know that I’ve accomplished that is a testament to how hard I’ve worked. It feels good, but at the same time the loss doesn’t make it feel that good.”
Barrett scored 26 points to lead all scorers in her final game. Though obviously still hurting from the loss, Barrett spoke fondly of her career with the Rams.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” Barrett said. “I’ve been blessed with an incredible coaching staff, people that love you not just for how you play on the court, but have helped me become a better person. I don’t even know where to start. It’s just been a blast.”
Barrett may have had 26, but she shot 10-for-28 from the field and just 2-for-10 from 3-point range.
“We told Anna (Olson) who was the primary (defender), ‘She’s going to shoot. And understand, she’s really good, so she’s going to make some,’” Moses Lake head coach Matt Strophy said. “’Don’t get in your own head with that kind of stuff, just roll with it. If you’re doing the right things and you’re not jumping and you’re keeping a hand up and staying square, everything will work out. She’s going to score 25 and no one else will score more than five.’”
Strophy wasn’t far off with what he told his team. Barrett finished with 26 and no one else scored more than six for the Rams.
It wasn’t just Barrett who struggled to make shots. The Rams shot just 2-for-20 (10 percent) from 3-point range.
“That’s huge,” Strophy said. “I don’t know that was anything special that we did. Yes, we can get out there and we can get a hand up. That’s what we wanted to do is contain dribble penetration and contest perimeter shots, and luckily they weren’t hitting. If they were hitting, it wouldn’t matter what we were doing.”
The Chiefs will face No. 7 Union at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Senior Madisyn Clark led Moses Lake with 16 points and junior Anna Olson added 15.
“That one-two punch of our guards, Anna Olson and Maddie Clark, I couldn’t ask for a better and more consistent duo all season long,” Strophy said. “If one of them is struggling a little bit, the other one can pick up the slack. …Anna Olson comes up with some huge buckets, and then you have the calming effect that Maddie Clark and her experience brings.”