By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
In the second loser-out 3A boys game of the day, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders and the Liberty Patriots battled at the Tacoma Dome for the chance to advance and face Mt. Spokane tomorrow at 12:15 pm.
Right off the bat, the Patriots swiped the ball away from the Crusaders, but Eastside Catholic’s Anthony Williams responded by drawing a foul and converting both free throws to give the Crusaders the first lead of the night. Liberty quickly answered when Tyson Burley drained a three-pointer to give the Patriots a 3-2 lead. From there, the score alternated throughout the remainder of the quarter, highlighted by Williams’ eight first-quarter points and contributions from Yabi Aklog for the Crusaders. However, Liberty’s Jackson Whitaker, Mason Miller, and Royce Rowe combined for four three-pointers as the Patriots held a 21-20 lead with 35 seconds left in the first quarter.
To close out the quarter, Eastside Catholic’s Micah Rouson converted two free throws before Whitaker sank a three-point shot, sending the Patriots into the second quarter leading 24-22.
Early in the second quarter, Aklog scored to tie the game at 24. Following Aklog’s basket, the Crusaders went on a 7-0 run before Whitaker finally managed to halt the Crusaders’ run with a shot off the glass, trimming the Crusaders’ lead to 31-26. For the remaining two minutes of the second quarter, Whitaker chipped in four points, Sun hit a three-pointer, Williams soared above the rim with a dunk, and Aklog capped the quarter with a dunk, sending Eastside Catholic into the half leading 38-31.
Aklog finished the first half with 15 points, while Williams added 11 for Eastside Catholic. Whitaker poured in 11 points in the first half for Liberty.
To start the new half, both the Crusaders and the Patriots committed multiple turnovers, and it was difficult for either team to set up plays on offense. Williams, who played a huge role in the first half, scored a basket off the glass to end the turnover spree and push the Crusaders’ lead to 40-31. Tytan McNeal followed with a free throw, and Whitaker answered with a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 41-34.
After a three-point play, Aklog pushed the Crusaders’ lead to a 10-point advantage, 45-35, after converting the free throw. The Crusaders stayed energized following Aklog’s trip to the line, as McNeal grabbed Williams’ rebound off a missed shot and assisted Rouson for a three-pointer, extending Eastside Catholic’s lead to 48-35 and prompting a Liberty timeout with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter.
After the break, Burley drained a three-pointer before the Crusaders went on a 9-0 run led by Aklog, with two points added by Williams, stretching their lead to 57-38. To close out the third quarter, Whitaker scored seven points, chipping away at Eastside Catholic’s lead and bringing the score to 59-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
To start the final quarter, Whitaker swiped the ball away as the Crusaders inbounded and quickly darted down the court for a bucket off the glass. Immediately after, Eastside Catholic head coach Brent Merritt called a timeout about a minute into the quarter. After the break, each possession moved quickly as both Liberty and Eastside Catholic scored on consecutive trips down the floor.
With the score at 66-52 in favor of the Crusaders, Liberty and Aklog traded baskets. Aklog scored four points at the line and added a putback, while Whitaker hit a fadeaway shot, cutting Eastside Catholic’s lead to 68-55. McNeal then raced down the court for an uncontested shot under the hoop, adding two more points and pushing the lead to 72-55.
Even though Whitaker and Miller continued chipping away at Eastside Catholic’s lead, the Crusaders’ offense didn’t let up. With 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter and the score at 76-60, the Patriots were still searching for a comeback. Miller led a 4-0 run before Eastside Catholic’s Trey Garrett went to the line and added two more points to the board. In the final minute of the game, Miller and Whitaker combined for eight points compared to one point from Crusader Simon Nled, but it was not enough to knock Eastside Catholic out of the 3A boys state tournament.
After their 79-70 hard-fought victory, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders advance to play Mt. Spokane tomorrow at 12:15 pm.
Aklog led the Crusaders with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists. Whitaker poured in 31 points, seven rebounds, and three assists to lead the Patriots.
After the game, Merritt said that even though his players looked a little nervous in the beginning, they got the job done.
“Our big fella came to play today, and that really helped out. We were a little nervous at first, but we were able to put pressure on and prevail,” said Merritt. “That freaking Jackson Whitaker is a beast. We have seen him before, and he is hard to stop. So, a lot of credit to my team.”
“I feel like we got those first-day nerves out today, and hopefully we can play a little bit better tomorrow,” he added.
Pictorial Highlight of Eastside Catholic vs Liberty
Photos/Tyler Artis
