The Lady Raiders kicked off March Madness with a 58-39 victory over Ionia. This was the third meeting between the two teams and for the third straight time, Portland came out on top. The Bulldogs kept the game close throughout much of the first three quarters, but the Lady Raiders were able to pull away in the 4th quarter behind some timely defensive pressure. The Raiders outscored Ionia 27-5 in the final quarter to win the opening game and advance to the semi finals against Alma. Portland was led by Ashley Bower who had 18 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and Ava Guilford who finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.  The girls play in the semifinal game tonight vs Alma at Belding HS at 7 pm.