By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Rounding out the Metro League regular season, Rainier Beach hosted O’Dea in a make-up game from January 5th. The Vikings, who are loaded with Nahmier Robinson and Ziggy Holmes initiating on offense, and Josh Conerly and Jaelin Green manning the defense, looked to keep themselves as the Metro League’s second seed heading into the playoffs behind Garfield. Meanwhile, The Fighting Irish were looking to hand Rainier Beach their second loss of the season with their stellar guard play and on-ball defense from Mason Williams and Takeo Staten-Sylvester, and long-range sharp shooters Owen Moriarty and Quincy Linton.
The atmosphere and energy were high at Rainier Beach’s Crawford Court. From the opening tip off to the final buzzer sounded off both teams were physical, and the referees swallowed their whistles for the most part and simply allowed the two teams to play. Despite the physicality of the game, O’Dea was able to get what they wanted offensively from Moriarty, who went on a personal 8-0 run to start the game for the Fighting Irish.
The Fighting Irish defense was just as impressive as their offense and didn’t allow the Vikings to get off to a hot start, which resulted in them leading 18-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Down 10 points to begin the second quarter, Rainier Beach, instead of hanging their head, buckled down and began playing their brand of basketball.
Robinson, Holmes, and Myles Daymon provided a spark for the Vikings on both offense and defense that got their coaches, fans, and alumni fired up. From Robinson hitting mid-range and three-point shots, Holmes scoring in transition and blocking shots, to Daymon, who finished the game with 18 points, providing instant scoring off the bench the Vikings rallied to take a 30-29 lead heading into halftime.
Rainier Beach Coach Dave King said Daymon’s play coming off the bench has been a huge boost for the team.
“When his number is called, he is always ready,” said King.
O’Dea opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run to regain the lead courtesy of Williams hitting two floaters, Moriarty getting a layup, and Linton making a three-pointer.
Unphased, Robinson’s scoring and management of the game for Rainier Beach allowed the Vikings to keep themselves in the game. Robinson’s ability to finish with contact, make jump shots on the move, and find open teammates throughout the quarter led to a 48-46 advantage for the Vikings going into the fourth.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish and the Vikings were both in the bonus. With the game being physical since tip, time finally arrived where players were worn down and tired, and the final outcome of the game would come down to two things, one, who would have the last run and second, who can make free throws in the clutch.
For O’Dea, Williams, who had to play extensive minutes because Staten-Sylvester left the game with a concussion, continued to display his impressive skill set in crunch time. Making floaters and free throws while making sure to put teammates Miles Clark and Russell Macfarlane in a position to score easy points, Williams helped orchestrate the Fighting Irish having a brief one-point lead late in the quarter.
With their backs up against the wall again, Rainier Beach responded by tying the game at 57 before a timeout was called with two minutes left in regulation. Following the timeout, the Vikings Mario Clark hit a jump shot from the free throw line to give them a 59-57 lead.
Down the stretch, the Vikings did not allow their opponents to score or get second chance opportunities in the final 1:30 of the game, and with 24.4 seconds left Josh Conerly’s free throw secured Rainier Beach’s 62-57 win.
Finishing the regular season 15-1 overall and 13-1 in league play, Rainier Beach earned themselves a first-round bye in the Metro League playoffs.
Coach King said securing a first-round bye was big for his team because, “you get to scout who you play and get an extra day of practice to prep and prepare.”
Pictorial Highlights of O’Dea vs Rainier Beach
