Renton High School girls basketball (13-2) fell short in a tight contest against Eisenhower of Yakima (7-7) by a score of 43-39 on Jan. 19 for just the team’s second loss of the season.

The Redhawks don’t have an opportunity to play a 4A team every day, as Hazen and Liberty were the lone non-2A teams on Renton’s schedule this season up to this point.

One common opponent that the two schools had was Cedarcrest. Eisenhower beat Cedarcrest by 30 points, compared to Renton’s loss by four.

“I’ve seen fear in their (Eisenhower) eyes because they beat Cedarcrest by 30. They thought it was going to be one of them (blowout),” head coach Earl Cheatham said.

In the first quarter, the Cadets had a slim 9-8 lead as it looked like both teams were struggling to find some rhythm on offense.

Precious Miles found her stride in the second quarter with eight points along with Khloe Mallary, who had seven points in the first half for Renton.

The two teams were tied at 22 going into the second half and the Redhawks were looking to continue that momentum, but the reality was closer to the first quarter than the second.

“We played under control offensively, in the second quarter. What I have to do as a coach to get better at is offensive rebounds. They beat us with more rebounds. I gotta teach them a little harder about rebounding,” Cheatham said.

Gigi Victo Hill absorbs the contact as she drives to the basket. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Renton’s defense was lockdown in the third quarter as the Redhawks got an early four point lead, 28-24. The Redhawks kept that four point margin up until Gigi Victo Hill made a free throw in the final second to give Renton a 33-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was one to forget for Cheatham and his team. Renton managed to score just six points as the Cadets outscored Renton 15-6 in the final frame.

“I think fatigue set in, along with them out-rebounding them. I gotta do a better job getting them in shape and rebounding the ball,” Cheatham said.

Mallary had four points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 points. The sophomore point guard had been stuck in a rut, but Cheatham is finally seeing her find her groove once again.

“She’s been struggling, but she is coming out of her struggle now. She’s figuring it out, which is a good sign. We relied on her a lot last year,” Cheatham said. “She’s smart and she’s coachable. She knows when to pick it up.”

Freshman Gigi Victo Hill also had 12 points, but fouled out in the final moments of the game.

Mia Mickelson takes a three pointer for Renton. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Renton came off a win against Liberty on Jan. 17 by a score of 59-58. Cheatham wasn’t anticipating a win in either game, but wanted to see the right effort and energy. The win was a bonus.

“I’m happy with the two games we played this weekend. I was hoping to just play well in both games, but we stole one. So I am really happy as a coach,” Cheatham said. “That was helpful and impressive for us.”