High School Boys Basketball: R.A. Long reels off six straight wins to start season (UPDATED)
Trophy Chasers – Lumberjacks looking for more in ‘25-26 after historic 3rd place finish at State
Jordan Nailon for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
Prep Boys Basketball / Scouting Report
THE LUMBERDOME — The R.A. Long boys basketball team had a problem from Day 1 this season – and whatever it is that your thinking, it probably wasn’t that.
No, it wasn’t injuries or graduated seniors or improved competition that had the Lumberjacks scrambling on the first day of practice. Rather, they were overrun by hopeful hoopers who wanted to be a part of the next chapter in R.A. Long basketball.
Which is understandable on the heels of the program’s all-time best third place finish at the state tournament last season. But it made for cramped quarters at The Lumberdome.
“Day 1 there was some energy in the gym but it was tough. We had 60 kids come out,” RAL head coach Jeray Key said. ““People want to be a part of a winning program, which is a good thing. But we might have to build another gym.”
With rosters now set, and a couple weeks worth of games under their belts, it’s readily apparent that the Jacks have once again been able to turn that compounding interest into tangible dividends on the court. Don’t believe me, just ask the Centralia Tigers after they were dispatched 67-37 by R.A. Long in a non-league titlt on Monday at Joe Moses Court.
Or, you could ask any of the other five teams the Jacks have played and summarily defeated so far this season on their way to a 6-0 start and the No. 2 slot in the N2 Media 2A Top-10 rankings. R.A. Long is currently outscoring its opponents by 32 points per game, including a program record 105 points in a win over Hockinson last week.
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