The Raiders varsity boys basketball team defeated the Big Valley Cardinals on the opening night of competition at their home Burney Jamboree. But the battles were more challenging to finish the tournament against the Portola Tigers and Fall River Bulldogs. Burney finished third at the round-robin tourney with a record of 1-2 played Dec. 16-18.
Burney beat Big Valley 58-23 Thursday with eight Raiders contributing points, led by Dylan Ferguson with 17 and Alex Courtright with 10. But the tide changed against Portola on Friday. The Tigers controlled the boards and finished with 19 offensive rebounds. Burney trailed by eight points at the end of the first quarter. However, Macleod Luntey dropped in three buckets to start the second, and the Raiders were gaining momentum as they cut the deficit to 18-22 about midway through.
The Tigers, however, finished the quarter on a 12-0 run for an 18-34 halftime lead. Portola continued to build on its information and downed the Raiders 47-73. Luntey and Ferguson finished with 13 points each, and Courtright pitched in with eight.
Burney never found their rhythm against Fall River in the tournament finale. Courtright drained a three at the end of the first, scoring 7-11 in Fall River’s favor.
But the Bulldogs outscored the Raiders 23-9 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Burney had its best quarter in the fourth, scoring 12 points, but they gave up 19, and the Bulldogs won 30-68. The Raiders finish the preseason with a 4-6 and will start league play on Jan. 7 at home against the Etna Lions. The Lions are winless this season but have played chiefly larger schools.