McIlraith leads Cruisers over Montesano to stay perfect in league play

The Cruiser boys basketball team hosted the Toledo Riverhawks Jan. 24 in another non-league match up, but a 25 point outburst in the fourth quarter by the Riverhawks allowed them to get by the Cruisers 71-62.

Eatonville led after by one entering the final quarter, but Toledo's Jake Cournyer exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his game-high 27 points to help put the Cruisers away.

The Cruisers had two players score in double digits with seniors Reilly McIlraith and Jakob Lucht leading the Cruisers with 19 and 15 points, respectively.

Eatonville then headed down south to Castle Rock for another non-league affair with the Rockets.

The Cruisers jumped out to a 14-9 lead after one quarter before Castle Rock found its mark from the floor. A pair of 17-point quarters to bookend halftime gave the Rockets a 43-38 lead heading into the fourth.

Eatonville outscored the Rockets 17-14 in the final frame but came up short, dropping the contest 57-55.

Eatonville had three players in double figures with McIlraith leading the way with 17 points. Lucht  scored 14, and Shay Brannon recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cruisers bounced back when they hosted the Montesano Bulldogs in a 1A Evergreen league match up on Friday.

After staying close with the Cruisers in the first quarter, the Bulldogs folded under the pressure as the Cruisers went on a 17-8 run in the second quarter to break the game open and led by 10 at the half, 27-17.

Eatonville's offense exploded again in the second half, outscoring the Rockets 31-17 as they cruised to a 58-34 victory.

McIlraith again led the Cruisers in scoring with 18 points. Brannon kicked in 12 points, with 10 of those coming in the final quarter. Walker Bruun checked in with 11 points, followed by Lucht's 10.

The Cruisers will finish off the regular season against Elma at 7 p.m. Thursday at home.