By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Just one game away from the championship game, Rainier Beach had their sights set on getting there yet again under the coaching of Mike Bethea and his staff. Beating Ferris and Gig Harbor in route to a semifinal appearance, the Vikings would match up against Mt. Spokane who had beat them in previous years in this same setting.
Looking to avenge a loss from not so long ago, the Vikings jumped out on Mt. Spokane right away with Josh Conerly dominating the paint on both ends of the floor. Even though the Vikings jumped out to an early 6-2 lead that didn’t phase the Wildcats.
Mt. Spokane would score 7 straight points and Conerly would make two free throws to end the quarter with the game tied at 9.
With Rainier Beach’s Nahmier Robinson in foul trouble, Demar Johnson stepped up for the Vikings in the second quarter. Johnson owned the quarter with seven points, facilitating the offense, and utilizing his leadership skills to keep the Vikings close with one of their best players down.
Even with Johnson’s outstanding play in the quarter, Mt. Spokane found their rhythm offensively going on a 10-0 run which resulted in the Wildcats having a 25-22 lead at halftime.
The Vikings shot 30% in the first half, yet they were only down three points despite not shooting well. That changed once the third quarter began, Robinson made jump shots, Johnson continued to score and find open teammates, and Conerly continued to show his presence in the paint.
With the trio in sync, Rainier Beach found themselves leading 43-35 heading into the fourth quarter. With eight minutes left to decide who would meet Auburn in the championship game, the Vikings managed to control the momentum.
With momentum in their favor, Rainier Beach jumped out to a 50-38 lead with 3:15 remaining, and it seemed as if the Vikings were going to run away with the game. However, Mt. Spokane managed to battle back, and what was once a 12-point deficit became a four lead in the blink of an eye.
With the score 52-48 and 33.8 seconds left, Mt. Spokane made an impressive run, but couldn’t capitalize off of five missed free throws by Rainier Beach. Unable to put up points, Robinson finally sealed the game by making a free throw with 8.2 seconds left.
As the final horn sounded, Rainier Beach would win 53-50 and earned a spot in the state championship game to face Auburn.
Johnson led all scorers with 17 points, Conerly had 14, Robinson and Green both had 8 points as the foursome combined for 47 of the Vikings 53 points. Their impressive play has given Rainier Beach an opportunity to win their ninth state championship under coach Mike Bethea.
