Auburn Riverside's rally falls short in loss to Mount Rainier

Auburn Riveride
Rachel Ciampi/Auburn Reporter
Auburn Riveride's Jalea Crump battles Mount Rainier's Brittany McPhee, left, and Amber Guillot go for a rebound.

February 2, 2012 · Updated 1:00 PM 

Despite falling behind 24 points in the third quarter, Auburn Riverside nearly scrambled all the way back but dropped a 78-73 verdict to front-running Mount Rainier in a South Puget Sound League North 4A girls basketball showdown Thursday night.

The undefeated and second-ranked Rams (15-0 in league, 19-0 overall) enjoyed a big lead before the No. 9 Ravens (11-2, 15-2) rallied.

Brittany McPhee, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward, scored a game-high 22 points and senior Kiana Gandy had 20 points for the Rams. Gandy sank three of four free throws in the final 29 seconds to clinch the win.

The Ravens finished with five players in double figures — Erin Bang (15 points), Jalea Crump (14), Kendall Foster (13), Gee (12) and Ilona Synder (10).

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