Pictured is Brady Watson
Make no bones about it. The Magazine Rattlers started out in the 2A-4 basement in early conference play. That is all changing though as they not only beat Mansfield last week they then turned around and took out JC Westside 55-42 on Tuesday, January 12th. Now it seems the Rattlers are on a roll and headed uphill fast. No one really knows if they were just rusty or playing the ol’ opossum trick earlier on in the season, but one thing is now for sure. They are one of the hottest teams on the court right now.
The Rattlers stuffed the Rebels cannons in the 1st quarter racking up a quick ten-point lead of 16-6. A relatively sizable lead, but not a blowout…….not yet that is. Magazine began pouring it on the Rebels in the 2nd quarter. If it’s a stat that goes in the books, the Rattlers made sure it was checked before the halftime buzzer sounded. The Rattlers outscored JC Westside 16 to 4 in the second quarter to ease into the half 32-10.
Whether it was a master Rebel plan or post halftime leisure on the Rattlers part, Magazine slowed the pace of the game. The Rebels cavalry rode straight into the second half striking the Rattlers with 13 points while Magazines offense sputtered a little, only obtaining 8 more points in the 3rd quarter. With the scoring gap closing, Magazine’s defense stiffened in the 4th quarter allowing their offense to get the job done. With the Rebels lowering their flag, the red hot Rattlers went on to win 55-42 to secure back to back conference wins.
Cameron “The Ice Man” Raggio updated his MVP resume with an astonishing 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a dominate performance against JC Westside. Raggio wasn’t merely a one-man crew though. He had a host of equally potent fangs that helped take down the Rebels. Brady Watson knocked down 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. “Awesome” Ashton Droemer rolled out 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks but was very generous by attributing 6 assists in the game. William King and Austin “KABOOM” Krigbaum paired up for 5 points with Krigbaum coming down with 4 rebounds. Haden Littleton had a not so little game as he rolled up 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals. And Tatum “The Sheriff” Scott cuffed the Rebels with 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 steals.
“These guys are putting in work every day to get better,” stated Coach Justin Mackey. “I feel like every game of the season we’ve improved and now going into Friday’s game versus Future School on a conference win streak is big for us! Our young men have bought into the program in all aspects. We’ve had a loud and rowdy bench and several role players playing huge minutes allowing us to spread the ball and have success. As far as goals for the game versus Future School go, we need to continue to improve on all aspects of the game by getting every rebound and passing up the good shots to find a guy with a great shot!”
“As far as the rest of the season, I feel like we’re progressing in a manner that will allow us to make a run at not only the District Tournaments but possibly Regional and even State. I am super proud of these guys for the work they’re putting in!” The victory puts the Rattlers at a 4-6 overall record and 2-3 in conference. Magazine will look to break even in the conference record on Friday, January 15th against the Ft. Smith Future School Rockets. If you’ve ever seen Snakes on a Plane, prepare yourself for the sequel. Rattlers on Rockets!
Photo courtesy of Amber Canada Photography
