Mental toughness is more than a mere mantra for Auburn Riverside’s girls basketball team.
It is a theme.
Coming off a loss the previous night, the Ravens might have needed it more than ever in a 62-46 win Tuesday night at Auburn Mountainview in a North Puget Sound League 4A Olympic Division game.
“I’m proud of the girls bouncing back really well,” said Auburn Riverside coach Christian Miller, whose team lost 57-55 Monday to Sunset of Oregon at the ShoWare Center. “It’s hard to go from ShoWare to playing a tough Mountainview team on the road in back-to-back nights. Our girls really showed up.”
In addition to the rigors of playing consecutive nights – the Ravens last had back-to-back games Dec. 2-3 – senior point guard McKenzi Williams has been battling the flu. After some offensive struggles during the second quarter, where the Ravens did not score until senior center Faith Turner’s layup with 3:28 minutes left in the half, Williams said they regrouped after taking a 25-14 lead into the intermission.
“I think we were just tired … but the rivalry game brought us a lot of energy,” said Williams, who scored 15 points. “We really wanted this one. We recuperated at halftime.”
Turner, who had 12 points and a dozen rebounds, shared similar sentiments. She said she hoped Auburn Riverside’s effort would be rewarded with a “light practice.”
“We’re a little winded,” she said.
One player who showed few signs of fatigue was senior guard Olivia Denton. She connected on 5-of-10 3-pointers en route to a game-high 21 points. Denton again credited the team’s theme for its ability to avoid a letdown game.
“That’s not us,” she said. “We have a bounce back mentality.”
The Ravens (13-3 overall, 11-0 Olympic) have won all six meetings since they began sharing a league with the Lions during the 2014-15 season.
“I’m convinced that’s one of the top teams in the state right now,” Auburn Mountainview coach Dustin DePiano said of the Ravens. “They’ve played together for years and kind of have that same core group of girls.
“They’re a lot to deal with. They’re athletic.”
DePiano also praised his own team’s effort. In the locker room, he said he reminded the Lions (11-6, 7-4) that they remain in third place in the division race with three games left.
“Moving forward, we’re in a good spot,” DePiano said. “Our league – Beamer and Riverside – they’re kind of in a separate group. But if we’re sitting in that third spot, that still puts us in a good spot for (the playoffs).”
Auburn Mountainview has one of the league’s top players in sophomore guard Taylor Flores, who scored a team-high 17 points.
“She’s our engine,” DePiano said of Flores. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that she’s only a sophomore because we put a lot of pressure on her to perform. She loves stepping up in these big games.”
Several times, Flores was pitted against Williams on both ends of the court. As much as DePiano enjoyed watching it, he said he won’t miss preparing for Williams in the future.
“I’m glad she’s a senior,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve been dealing with her for years now. I’ve never played against someone that’s as competitive as she is. She’s nonstop for 32 minutes. She impresses me every time.”
Williams and her teammates have just three regular-season games remaining, beginning at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Decatur (2-13, 0-10). Auburn Riverside then plays at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Todd Beamer (13-2, 9-1). The Ravens won the previous contest against the Titans, 41-40, on Dec. 20.
“I’m more excited for that game than anything right now,” Williams said. “I feel like a lot of people think that our last win was a fluke, but we’ve got something special for them coming up.”
Elsewhere
Auburn suffered a 36-31 setback Tuesday night against Thomas Jefferson. No details were reported for the Trojans (4-11, 4-7).
